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Birthday Bouquet 



CULLED FROM 



THE SHRINES OF THE SAINTS 



THE GARDENS OF THE POETS. 

By 
ELEANOR C. DONNELLY, 

author of 

"Pearls from the Casket of the Sacred Heart." "Out 

of Sweet Solitude," "Domus Dei," "Legend of 

the Best-Beloved," " Crowned with Stars," 

''Children of the Golden Sheaf," 

"Hymns of the Sacred Heart," 

and other Works. 




New York, Cincinnati, and 

BENZIGER BROTHERS, 

PRINTERS TO THE HOLY APOSTOLIC SEE. 
1884. 



■Dc 



55" 



Philadelphia, April 22, 1884. 

I hereby approve of the publication of Miss Eleanor C. 
Donnelly's latest work, viz., " Our Birthday Bouquet culled 
prom the Shrines of the Saints and the Gardens of the 
Poets." 

It is a very instructive and edifying book. 

MAURICE A. WALSH, 

A d7ninistrator. 



Copyright, 18S4, by Benziger Brothers. 



To 

SAINT JOSEPH, 

THE WELL-BELOVED OF JESUS AND MARY, 

AND 

THE PATRON OF THE UNIVERSAL 
CHURCH, 

to whom it was granted as the shadow of jesus' eternal 

Father, and the representative of Mary's Eternal 

Spouse, to taste in person the joys of that 

DIVINE BIRTHDAY 

Which hath Ennobled and Sanctified to all Time, the 
Birthdays of the Children of Men, 

this 

OUR BIRTHDAY BOUQUET, 

IS most humbly and reverentially 
DEDICATED. 



I^EFAGE. 



The compiler of the present work has long desired 
to present to Catholic readers a Birthday Bouquet 
sufficiently fair and odoriferous to be worthy their 
acceptance. Her labor to this end, in fields so vast 
and prolific, is at last, she is happy to say, conscien- 
tiously accomplished. To the choicest flowers from 
the shrines of the servants of God she has united 
the purest and most fragrant blossoms (exotic and 
native) from the haunts of the children of song. The 
golden chain of our Lady's feasts, interlaced with 
the slender ribbon of a daily Christian Practice, 
binds the blooming mass together. The culler of 
these immortelles therefore cherishes the hope that 
her Bouquet may prove a blessed birthday-gift to 
many a gentle reader, and may long diffuse over 
Name-day and Fete-day its mingled odors of sanctity 
and sweetness. 

The compiler's grateful acknowledgments are due 
to Prof. Arthur J. Stace of the University of Notre 
Dame, Indiana, for his sketch of St. Herculanus's life, 
as well as for his graceful translation, in two cases, of 
the original verse of our present Holy Father, Leo 
XIII. 

The lines for the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi are 
taken from one of the two beautiful hymns composed 
5 



by Pope Leo, in honor of St. Constantius, a hoi)' 
bishop of Perugia (of which See our beloved Pon- 
tiff was also once bishop), and who suffered mar- 
tyrdom under the emperor Marcus Aurelius. The 
local Feast of St. Constantius is commemorated by 
the Perugians on January 29; but as that day is as- 
signed by pre-eminence to St. Francis de Sales, and 
as the scope of the present work does not admit of 
duplicate saints (if we may use the expression) upon 
any one festival, except in the case of those who 
were fellow-martyrs at the same date, we have ven- 
tured to apply the lines of our illustrious Pontiff to 
St. Francis d'Assisi, the holy seraph of Umbria. 

Philadelphia, October 25, 1883. 
6 



gauttarij. 



'Chants the ice-crowned January : 
; ' / within my bosom bear 
Thine Espousals, pttre and fair, 

Virgin Bride! I hail thee, Mary /" 

E. C. 



7-8 



(SANUAI^Y 1. 



THE CIRCUMCISION OF OUR LORD JESUS 
CHRIST. 

'" w\!r> FTER eight days were accomplished that 
<-^v^y the child should be circumcised: his name 
<r~^y^- was called Jesus, which was called by the 

angel before he was conceived in the womb." — St. 

Luke ii. 21. 



Under the knife of Circumcision lies 

The little Lamb divine, — 
The Precious Blood the swathing-linen dyes; 

And drops, like rubies, shine 
On Mary's veil; but she and Joseph dear, 

With strange delight, the name of Jesus hear. 

My gentle friend, upon thy fair New Year, 

As on the linen white, 
The Precious Blood is shining — oh ! revere 

Those drops with strange delight; 
And may the name of Jesus consecrate 

Each thought and word and work that on it wait ! 

Eleanor C. Donnelly. 



Favorite Practice. 

A tender devotion to the Most Holy Name of Jesus, 



(January % 



ST. MACARIUS, Hermit. 

v^T. MACARIUS was born at Alexandria irt 
^ 306. His parents were poor pagans, and 
he was not baptized a Christian until he had 
attained his thirtieth year. Shortly after that event 
he retired into the deserts of the Thebaid, and lived 
there the life of a most austere cenobite until he was 
ninety-nine years old. God permitted him to be 
tried by a multitude of violent temptations; but, 
overcoming the snares of the demon by the arms of 
prayer and penance, he had the honor, at last, to 
suffer persecution for the faith, and became one of its 
fervent apostles 



*-Tis not Thy promised heavenly reward 
Attracts me, O my God, to love of Thee: 

Nor am I moved from sin's reproach to flee 
By fear of its eternal fierce award. 

Cardinal Wiseman. 



Favorite Practice. 

An humble perseverance in prayer under te?nptation 
and trial. 



^ANUAI^Y 3. 



ST. GENEVIEVE, Virgin. 

BOUT the year 422, St. Genevieve was born 
in a village near Paris named Nanterre. 
IJbr- When she was yet a little child, the bishop 
of Auxerre, St. Germain, passing near that spot, 
saw the young Genevieve among the crowd which, 
pressed to welcome him; and discerning in her 
(by inspiration) the religious vocation, with his own 
hands invested her, then, with the holy habit. She 
made, thereafter, rapid progress in piety; but her 
holiness was exercised and augmented by many trib- 
ulations and humiliations. When Paris was besieged, 
first by Attila and his hosts, and again by Merovee^ 
king of the Franks, St. Genevieve, on both occa- 
sions, was instrumental in saving the city from 
destruction. She died in 512, and is invoked as the 
patroness of Paris. 



Patience and abnegation of self, and devotion to others, 
This was the lesson a life of trial and sorrow had taught her. 
So was her love diffused, but, like to some odorous spices, 
Suffered no waste or loss, though filling- the air with aroma. 
Other hope had she none, nor wish in life, but to follow 
Meekly, with reverent steps, the sacred feet of her Saviour. 
Henry W. Longfellow. 



Favorite Practice. 

A generous courage in trials arising from the ingrati- 
tude or injustice of men. 



^ANUAI^Y & 



ST. TITUS, Bishop of Crete. 

{ T. TITUS was converted to the faith by the 
great apostle St. Paul, and afterwards became 
his disciple and companion in his evangeli- 
cal wanderings. In the year 63, St. Paul created 
Titus bishop of Crete, and there addressed to him 
one of his wonderful Epistles. Later on St. Titus 
labored at Xicopolis, and in Dalmatia, in the work 
of the Gospel; but after the martyrdom of St. Paul 
he returned to his diocese of Crete, and died there at 
a very advanced age. 



In white arrayed, — his face as though it were 
Lit with the radiance of the star of dawn. 

Alighieri Dante. 



Favorite Practice. 
"In all things show yourself an exaniple of good 
works; in doctrine, in integrity, in gravity." — Titus 
II. 7. 



(January S. 



ST. EMILIANA, Virgin. 

*T. EMILIANA was a daughter of the Ro- 
man senator Gordian. She was one of a 
family of saints: her uncle being the Pope 
St. Felix, and her nephew the famous St. Gregory 
the Great. With her sister, St. -Thrasilla, Emiliana 
made a vow of chastity, and devoted herself to an 
ascetic life in their father's house. Thrasilla was 
nrst called to her reward, but shortly after her death 
she appeared to St. Emiliana, inviting her to cele- 
brate with her in heaven the approaching feast of the 
Epiphany. In response, as it were, to the celestial 
invitation, Emiliana died the following day, Janu- 
ary 5, which was the vigil of that blessed festival. 



Happy soul ! she shall discover 

What joy. what bliss, 
How many heavens at once it is, 

To have a God become her Lover ! 

Richard Crash aw. 



Favorite Practice. 

A sweet solicitude to preserve fa??iily union ana har- 
mony. 

J 3 



c^ANUA^Y @. 



THE EPIPHANY. 

" A ^ND when the Magi had heard the king, 
they went their way ; and behold, the 
star which they had seen in the east 
went before them until it came and stood over 
where the child was. And seeing the star, they re- 
joiced with exceeding great joy. And going into the 
house, they found the Child w r ith Mary, his Mother; 
and falling down, they adored him; and opening 
their treasures, they offered to him gifts, gold and 
frankincense and myrrh." — St. Matthew ii. 9-12. 



See, along the dusky paths, 

Tramp the camels through the snow; 
See, through long toilsome roads, 

Where the eastern Magi go. 
Learn the blessed lesson well, — 

Through the darkness, through the cold, 
Seek and find our Lord with zeal, 

Like those holy kings of old. 

Eleanor C. Donnelly. 



Favorite Practice. 
Detachment from one's personal comforts. 



c^ANUAI^Y Z. 



ST. LUCIAN, Priest and Martyr 

[ T. LUCIAN was a native of Samosata, and was 
born in the latter part of the third century. At 
an early age he distributed his worldly goods 
to the poor, and after completing his theological 
studies was ordained priest. Besides his sacerdotal 
duties, he devoted himself to works of charity, and to 
the revision of the books of the Old and New Tes- 
tament. Having been denounced as a Christian, 
St. Lucian was put in chains and tortured for twelve 
whole days. Whilst he lay upon his prison-floor 
with his bones wounded and dislocated, some Chris- 
tians, on the festival of the Epiphany, brought him 
the bread and wine, and there, making use of his 
own breast as an altar, he consecrated the elements, 
and gave the holy communion to himself and to the 
other Christians who surrounded him. St. Lucian 
was martyred at Nicomedia, in the year 312. 



The nuptial-guests are ready — exultant, calm, and strong 
Go forth the willing legions, the manna-nourished throng. 

And he, the martyrs' chieftain, who walks with firmest tread* 
Lay fettered in the dawn-light upon his dungeon-bed; 

Aye, there, in twofold office he shared the day break- feast, 
And offered love's oblation, its altar and its priest ! 

Harriet Skidmore. 



Favorite Practice. 

A frequent and, if possible, a daily attendance at 
the holy Sacrifice of the Mass. 



<3anuai^y 8. 



ST. SEVERINUS, Bishop. 

C TTN the fifth century St. Severinus quitted his her- 
JT mit-cell in the solitudes of the East, and de- 
^"^ voted himself to evangelizing the population 
of Norcia, in Austria, and the Tyrol. He at first 
met with great resistance, but his persevering labors 
and saintly example soon effected wonders of con- 
version. Like St. John the Baptist, he preached 
penance continually to his hearers; and he required 
that those who were afflicted or infirm should first 
do penance for their sins before he would consent to 
pray for them or heal them of their diseases. He 
possessed the gift of prophecy, and was regarded by 
kings and nations with singular veneration. He 
died upon January 9, 482. 



He always wins who sides with God, 

To him no chance is lost; 
God's will is sweetest to him when 

It triumphs at his cost. 

Father Faber. 



Favorite Practice. 

Some little self-denial in lawful pleasures. 



<3ANUAI^Y 9. 



ST. JULIAN AND COMPANIONS, Martyrs. 

[ T. JULIAN and his young wife, St. Basilla, 
some time in the third or fourth century, de- 
voted their lives and property to the poor and 
sick. They turned their abode into a hospital, and 
entertained pilgrims, ministering in person to the 
needs of the afflicted. Imitating the example of the 
Immaculate Virgin and her holy spouse, St. Joseph, 
Julian and his wife, on the day of their union, pro- 
nounced the solemn vow of chastity, and thereafter 
lived in its most faithful observance. Basilla was 
subjected to torture for the faith, but outlived the 
ordeal. St. Julian, however, was martyred some 
years after, with many other holy confessors, being 
beheaded at Antioch on the 9th of January, 313. 



Where hearts unstained . . . 
Have still a simple faith in God. 
Hearts that, in pleasure and in pain, 
The more they're trod, rebound the more. 

Denis Florence MacCartht. 



Favorite Practice. 

To harbor the harborless. 



<3anua^y 10. 




ST. WILLIAM, Archbishop of Bourges. 

j AVING renounced great wealth and social 
rank, St. William embraced the ecclesiasti- 
cal state, and was made a canon, first of 
Soissons, and afterwards of Paris. He withdrew, 
later, into the Order of Citeaux, but was forced to 
quit his retirement by being elevated to the archi- 
episcopal see of Bourges. In this high position he 
manifested a wonderful zeal and charity, and was 
accustomed to style the poor his "creditors." St. 
William was chiefly remarkable for his tender devo- 
tion to the Blessed Sacrament. He prophesied his 
own death from the pulpit, and expired on the ioth 
of January, 1202. 



Jesu ! whom, for the present, veiled I see, 
What I so thirst for, oh ! vouchsafe to me: 
That I may see Thy countenance unfolding, 
And may be blest Thy glory in beholding. 

Trans, from St. Thomas Aquinas. 



Favorite Practice. 

A daily visit to the Blessed Sacrament of the altar 



(3ANUAI^Y 11. 



A 



ST. THEODOSIUS, Hermit. 

BOUT the year 423, St. Theodosius was born 
in Cappadocia, and received a careful Chris- 
tian training. After having been ordained 
to the priesthood, he felt himself called to a life of 
stricter retirement, and became one of the anchor- 
ites of the desert. Here he was followed by so many 
zealous disciples that he was forced to found a mon- 
astery, wherein he and his brethren lived in the prac- 
tice of most heroic charity to pilgrims and the poor. 
The continual topic of his thoughts and conversa- 
tion was the preparation for a holy death. Despite 
his hard and laborious life, St. Theodosius lived to 
the age of 106 years. 



Remote from that distracted world 
Where sin has reared his gloomy throne, 

With passion's ensign sweetly furled, 
We live and breathe for heaven alone. 

Gerald Griffin. 



Favorite Practice. 

An invocation, morning and night, for the grace of 
a holy death. 



<3anuai^y 12. 



3c 



ST. ARCADIUS, Martyr. 

^T. ARCADIUS was a wealthy and high-born 
Christian of Caesarea, who during the per- 
secution of Valerian, about the year 257, fled 
away to escape the tortures of martyrdom. One 
of his relatives offered himself to die in his stead; 
and when Arcadius heard of the heroic act, his 
heart was so moved that he returned at once and 
surrendered himself to the judge. Threats and al- 
lurements were tried in turn to drive him to apostatize; 
but sooner than deny the faith of Christ, Arcadius 
suffered his executioners to cut off his limbs, one by 
one, and finally to disembowel him. His dying 
prayer was, " My God, forgive them: they knew not 
what they do !" 



. . . He seemed, in swift career, 
Caught up to an expanse of perfect white, 
Adorned with thousand flames that gave a golden light. 
From the Italian of Torquato Tasso. 



Favorite Practice. 

A generous forgetfulness of self with those who an- 
noy us. 



^ANUAI^Y 13. 



ST. VERONICA OF MILAN, Virgin. 

( T. VERONICA was a poor maiden of Milan. 
Possessed of an angelic piety, she wished to 
enter the convent of the Augustinian nuns of 
St. Martha, who were established in her native city. 
But the poverty of her parents had prevented the holy 
girl from receiving even the first rudiments of edu- 
cation. After working hard all day, Veronica 
devoted a part of each night to laboriously learning 
how to read and write, and succeeded without a 
teacher. Once when she was extremely discouraged 
over her studies, the Blessed Virgin consoled her by 
telling her that it sufficed for her to know three letters, 
which were, the love of God above all things, charity 
for our neighbor, and a tender devotion to the pas- 
sion of Jesus Christ. Finally, after three years of 
preparation, St. Veronica entered the convent of St. 
Martha, and there led the life and died the death of 
a saint. 



When obstacles and trials seem 
Like prison-walls to be, 
I do the little I can do. 
And leave the rest to Thee! 

Father Faber. 



Favorite Practice. 

A gentle persistence in overcoming obstacles in the 
service of God. 



(January i& 



ST. HILARY, BISHOP OF POITIERS. 

fN the fourth century, the Emperor Constantius, 
favoring the Arian heresy and being offended 
at the Christian boldness of Bishop Hilary of 
Poitiers in opposing his projects, banished that 
prelate to the East and caused him to remain in 
exile. St. Hilary, however, devoted himself in the 
interval to the composition of an admirable treatise 
on the Trinity, clearly setting forth the orthodox 
doctrine; and by his action at the Council of Seleucia, 
as well as by his writings and prudent measures, 
preserved the Church from a deplorable schism. He 
died at Poitiers in 36S. 



Far from the busy haunts of men, 

Far from their bustle, toil, and strife, 
Within my own dear shady glen, 

I lead a quiet, studious life. 
While towns with carking cares are rife 

I muse alone where few intrude; 
The cares that whet Decay's sharp knife 

Break not upon my solitude. 

Rev. P. A. Treacy. 



Favorite Practice. 

Zealously to shun whatever could dim the pure light 
of faith. 



(January i$. 



ST. PAUL, First Hermit. 

> URING the violent persecution of the Chris- 
^ 'J tians by the Emperor Dacian in the year 
^^~> 250, St. Paul of the lower Thebaid fled 
into the desert, and there in prayer and penance 
lived until he attained the great age of 113 years. 
Beside a clear brook, in a grotto shaded by a palm- 
tree, this first hermit spent his peaceful days; and 
when the palm no longer availed to furnish him with 
food, a raven brought him from God his daily por- 
tion of bread. St. Anthony came at last to hold a 
spiritual conference with Paul, and the raven brought 
him then a double allowance of bread, so that his 
guest might not remain unsupplied. A few days 
passed, and Paul slept in the Lord; and two lions 
came and hollowed out a grave, to which St. 
Anthony consigned the blessed corse. 



There have been holy men who hid themselves 
Deep in the woody wilderness, and gave 
Their lives to thought and prayer, till they outlived 
The generation born with them, nor seemed 
Less aged than the hoary trees and rocks 
Around them. 

William Cullen Bryant. 



Favorite Practice. 
To cultivate an unwavering trust in the providence 
of God. 

23 



(^ANUAI^Y 16. 




ST. HONARATUS, Bishop/ 

SCION of one of the noblest consular fami- 
V* lies of Gaul, St. Honaratus, in the fourth 
century, renounced the empty honors and 
riches of his position, and retired with his brother, 
to a solitary retreat far from their own country. His 
brother having died soon after, Honaratus returned 
to Gaul, and erected his hermitage on the isle of 
Lerins, where he soon found himself surrounded by 
other pious cenobites. He devoted his time to train- 
ing these disciples and initiating them into the high- 
est religious virtue; giving special attention to the 
sanctification of St. Hilary, who was to succeed him. 
Having been appointed bishop of Aries, St. Honara- 
tus held the see about two years, and died in 429. 



Onward he moves to meet his latter end, 
Angels around befriending - virtue's friend; 
Sinks to the grave with unperceived decay, 
While resignation gently slopes the way; 
And all his prospects, brightening to the last, 
His heaven commences ere the world is past 

Oliver Goldsmith. 



Favorite Practice. 

A self-sacrificing solicitude for the best interests of 
ethers. 

24 



(January 17. 



ST. ANTHONY, Abbot. 

|ORN in Coma, in Upper Egypt, in 251, St. 
JD) Anthony, while still in the flower of his youth, 
fe 7 "^ distributed his great wealth among the poor 
of Christ and retired into the desert. There he 
passed his days in strict poverty and the practice 
of heroic mortifications, devoting himself to silence, 
prayer, and manual labor. After a probation of 
mystical trials, and assaults of the Evil One, his repu- 
tation for sanctity drew around him thousands of dis- 
ciples, to whom he gave a monastic rule ; and in the 
direction of whom he became a very master and pa- 
triarch of cenobites. He died in the desert in 356, at 
the age of 105. 



This is the sanctuary of the soul : 

Here comes no murmur of the ways of men - 
I kneel in rapture at the holy goal, 
And breathe again. 

John Arthur Henry. 



Favorite Practice. 

To devote each day some little time to the considera- 
tion of the things of Eternity. 
25 



<3ANUAI^Y 18. 



THE CHAIR OF ST. PETER AT ROME. 

yfcjJ T. PETER, having been appointed by our divine 
Lord Himself the Head of the Church and 
His representative on earth, proceeded in the 
fulfilment of his mission to evangelize Judea, Gali- 
lee, Samaria, and the neighboring countries; and final- 
ly, in the year 41 of the vulgar era, established his 
see at Rome, the capital of the civilized world. There 
he thenceforth preached; there he wrote his two epis- 
tles to the churches of Asia; and there he suffered 
martyrdom on the 29th of June, in the year 44. In 
the imperishable See of Rome, that which Peter was 
the Pope still is, and will continue to be — the Pastor 
of pastors and common Father of the faithful. 



What though thy hands are fettered as they lift 
The blessing of the cross ? They still can guide, 
Like Israel's cloud, thy children scattered wide 
Still are they warning to lost fiocks adrift 
On mist-enshrouded slopes; still can they bless 
Thy faithful ones, who, weeping, peace implore, 
Who, striving, spread thy realm far countries o'er. 
Still rulest thou while kings, as shadows, pass; 
And still the weary, craving love and home, 
Peace in thy bosom seek, Eternal Rome! 

Edith Cook. 



Favorite Practice. 

To increase devotion to the Holy See. 
26 



(January m. 



ST. SULPICIUS, Bishop, 

,(^T. SULPICIUS was a priest of Gaul in the 
seventh century, under Austregisilus, bishop 
of Bourges. The king, Clothaire II., learning 
of the zeal and piety which had characterized the 
life of the servant of God from early youth, appoint- 
ed Sulpicius the almoner to his own serfs. A miracu- 
lous cure having afterwards been wrought in the per- 
son of the monarch through the prayers of his holy 
almoner, Clothaire had the latter elevated to the see 
of Bourges. In that responsible position, Sulpicius 
manifested a wonderful zeal, prudence, and exactitude 
of discipline. His days were spent in apostolic 
labors, and his nights devoted to prayer. Full of 
good works, he died on January 17th, 644. 



We will as yet, 
With God's help, 
Instruct thy mind; 
That thou the better mayest 
Discover to the skies 
The right path. 
From King Alfred's Metres of Boethitis. 



Favorite Practice. 

An active solicitude for the salvation of our neighlor* 



(SAHUAI^Y 20. 



ST. SEBASTIAN, Martyr. 

T(vyTNDER the Emperors Diocletian and Maximi- 
(xAJ) an, one of the highest officers in the Praeto- 
^^ rian guard was the noble St. Sebastian. A 
Christian and a soldier, he made use of his com- 
manding position to succor the persecuted of the 
faith of Christ and uphold them in their trials. Fi- 
nally denounced to Diocletian, Sebastian boldly pro- 
fessed himself a Christian, and was condemned by 
the emperor to perish by the hands of archers. 
The arrows, however, failing to give him the crown 
of martyrdom, he was beheaded by the imperial or- 
ders in the year 288. 



O faithful Saint Sebastian! 

The arrows long- ago 

Have ceased their work of torture, 

And the crown is on thy brow; 

Thine eyes are raised as ever, 

In the fulness of their love, 

But their pain hath changed to triumph, 

In the glorious courts above. 

Ellen Downing. 



Favorite Practice. 

To recall daily the fact that by the Sacrament % of Con- 
firmation yon are made, really and truly, a soldier of 
Christ. 

28 



Sanitary 21. 



ST. AGNES OF ROME, Virgin and Martyr. 

tOWARDS the close of the third century the 
beautiful maiden Agnes was born at Rome, of 
rich and noble parents, and dedicated to God 
from her very childhood. Being sought in marriage 
by illustrious suitors in her early girlhood, Agnes 
declined all the brilliant alliances tendered to her, 
and declared herself unalterably the spouse of Jesus 
Christ. Enraged at her Christian firmness, the Roman 
authorities subjected the virtue and modesty of the 
holy child to the most terrible ordeals; but the power 
of her Eternal Spouse protected her miraculously 
from the diabolical machinations of her enemies; 
and her fair young life was crowned with martyrdom. 
She perished by the sword by order of the Roman 
governor. 



44 Tear that white robe from her shoulders !" Tyrant mandates 
know not pity. 

She droops, clothed in her own blushes— could there gar- 
ments be more fair ? 

Lo ! down-fallen from its fastenings, before all that mighty 
city, 

She stands mantled and enshrouded in the glory of her hair. 

Then swift beneath the sword-flash streams the life-blood 

hotly gushing : 
The red current, overflowing, bathes her whiteness in its sea. 
Maidens, cease your tender weeping, all your anguished sobs 

be hushing ; 
Pain is but a dream forever, and the martyr's soul is free ! 

Mrs. Mannix. 



Favorite Practice. 

To guard with extreme care and caution the holy vir- 
tue of purity. 

29 



(January 2% 



ST. VINCENT, Martyr. 

vv^ T. VINCENT was a deacon of the Church in 
y^S) Saragossa, Spain, in the fourth century. 
^^ When the persecutions of Diocletian and 
Maximian raged against the Christians, Vincent was 
brought before the judges in chains. His ardent 
faith provoking the special anger of his enemies, he 
was beaten with rods at the pillory, torn with iron 
hooks, and cast upon burning coals. • Remaining con- 
stant under all these tortures, the tyrant Valentius 
sought by healing the martyr's wounds and surround- 
ing him with luxuries to allure him from the faith, 
but the brave young hero resisted blandishments and 
torments alike, and expired from the effects of his 
wounds in 323, at the early age of twenty-three. 



But firmly stood the holy youth, 

By many a guardian bright attended, 

Unshrinking zeal and spotless truth 
In holy rapture calmly blended. 

Gerald Griffin. 



Favorite Practice. 
To resist with equal courage the fierce assaults ana* 
gentle allure?nents of the Enemy. 
30 



(UANUAI^Y 23. 



THE ESPOUSALS OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN 
AND ST. JOSEPH. 

XJ»T^THEN the Blessed Virgin Mary had attained 
^Y^^9 her fourteenth year she was espoused by 
r ^' the high-priest, in the Temple of Jeru- 

salem, to St. Joseph, the husband chosen for her by 
the Divine decree. An ancient tradition avers that 
St. Joseph was indicated as the chosen spouse of Mary 
by the miraculous flowering of a rod which he held 
in his hand, as well as by the apparition of a shining 
dove which descended at the same time from heaven 
and rested upon the head of the future Foster-Father 
of Jesus. 



" Veni /" she hears it nearer tremble, 

" Arise, O love, and quit thy cell; 
Already in the courts assemble 

The noblest youths of Israel; 

And princely suitors there await 

Thine entrance at the inner gate." 

Dear Mater A dm ira b His ! 

Ere the high-priest leads thee forth to stand 
Where Joseph waits 'mid the throng id peace, 

With the blossoming staff in his aged hand ; — 
Ah ! turn from thy lilies, thy work, thy book, 
And gladden thy children with one fond look. 

From " Crowned with Stars." 



Favorite Practice. 

A deep reverence for the sanctity of the marriage- state* 
31 



<3ANUAI^Y 2$. 



ST. TIMOTHY, Bishop and Martyr. 

{ T. TIMOTHY was the child of a pagan father; 
but his mother Eunice and his grandmother 
Loyda were both devout Jewesses, and 
trained the boy to virtue from his earliest years. 
He became, in time, the spiritual and well-beloved 
son and co-laborer of the apostle St. Paul; and 
the latter addressed to him two epistles which consti- 
tute a portion of the inspired Word. Having been 
made bishop of Ephesus by St. Paul, Timothy, on 
one occasion, in striving to rescue from the idolaters 
some poor victims whom they were about to sacrifice 
to their false gods, became himself the prey of their 
fury. He was dragged through the streets of the city, 
and stoned to death, in the year 97. 



What is the blessed prize ? What crowns the victory ? 
It is the lily-white of pure Divinity. 
From the German of Rev. J. Scheffler {Angelus Silesius). 



Favorite Practice. 

To sacrifice self to the demands of Christian charity. 
32 



(^ANUAI^Y 2S. 



THE CONVERSION OF ST. PAUL THE 
APOSTLE. 

\\$\>ft ND it came to pass as he went on his jour- 
,A"*\^ ney, that he drew near to Damascus; and 
<r^>^~ suddenly a light from heaven shined 
round about him. And falling on the ground, he 
heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why dost 
thou persecute me ? And he said, Who art thou, 
Lord? And He: I am Jesus whom thou dost perse- 
cute: it is hard for thee to kick against the goad. 
And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what 
wilt thou have me to do ?" — Acts ix. 3-7. 



Lead, kindly light, amid the encircling gloom, 

Oh ! lead me on ! 
The night is dark, and I am far from home, 

Lead Thou me on ! 
Keep Thou my feet: I do not ask to see 
The distant scene: one step enough for me. 

Cardinal Newman. 



Favorite Practice. 

Prompt co7'respondence to the inspirations of God, 
33 



^ANUAI^Y 2-6. 



ST. PAULA, Widow. 

1 T. PAULA was a wealthy widow of Rome in 
^25 tne f° ur th century. The learned St. Jerome 
trained and directed her and her gifted 
daughter Eustochia in the practice of heroic vir- 
tue. After expending her income in works of char- 
ity, Paula retired from Rome to the Holy Land, 
and passed- the remainder of her life in Palestine, 
devoting herself (and with her Eustochia) to prayer 
and meditation, and labors for the poor, in the very 
spots made sacred by the presence of her Lord and 
Saviour, St. Paula ended her saintly career in 404. 



And, following her beloved Lord, 

In decent poverty, 
She makes her life one sweet record 

And deed of charity. 

Henry W. Longfellow. 



Favorite Practice. 

The Stations 0?' Holy Way of the Cross. 
34 



JANUARY 27. 



ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, Bishop and 

Doctor. 

URXAMED Chrysostom, or the Golden- 
mouthed, because of his heavenly eloquence, 
St. John was raised by unanimous acclaim 
to the see of Constantinople in 397. The age 
in which he lived was rife with scandals. The empress 
Eudoxia was ruling her court, intoxicated with ambi- 
tion and sinful excesses. The heresies of the Arians, 
the Eunomians, and the Montanists were prevailing 
on every side. Pagan games and spectacles were 
the order of the day; and even the clergy of the dio- 
cese were relaxed from the austerity of their discipline 
by the corrupting influence of the times. Having 
opposed all these disorders with the strong weapon 
of his courageous eloquence. Chrysostom was 
calumniated and persecuted. He was twice banished 
from his bishopric, and finally died in exile in Sep- 
tember, 407. 

♦ 

"Tis not the thought of glory won, 
Of hoarded gold or pleasures gone, 
But one bright course from earliest youths 
Of changeless faith, unbroken truth, 
This turns to gold the vapors dun 
That close on life's descending sun. 

Gerald Griffin. 



Favorite Practice. 

To calmly and boldly oppose the spirit of /ti< ?>:.:>: 
respect. 

35 



^ANUAI^Y 28. 

ST. CYRIL, Patriarch of Alexandria. 

tT was to St. Cyril, the great and zealous pa- 
triarch of Alexandria, that Pope Celestine I., 
in the fifth century, intrusted the important 
work of refuting the impious Xestorius. That un- 
happy man was striving to spread false doctrine 
throughout the Christian world, in infamously assert- 
ing that the Blessed Virgin, although the Mother of 
Christ, was not the Mother of God. A council at 
Rome in 430, and another at Ephesus in 431, con- 
firmed the doctrine which St. Cyril taught, in opposi- 
tion to the false Xestorius; and the fathers of the 
council were borne aloft in triumph at Ephesus, the 
people crying aloud, " Blessed be ye who have 
restored to us our Mother!" St. Cyril peacefully 
expired at Alexandria in 444. 



And this we know: let all the world be dark. 
Dear Mary watches o'er our troubled sea; 
And this we know: though unknown danger lurks 
In all our land, her pure heart is an ark 
In which we shelter, childlike, trustingly. — 
O heart unstained! the greatest of God's works. 

Maurice F. Egax. 



Favorite Practice. 

Frequently repeat, ' ' Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray 
for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. 
Amen." 

36 



^ANUAI^Y 29. 



ST. FRANCIS DE SALES, Bishop and Doctor. 

^ T. FRANCIS DE SALES was devoted to God 
^ from his infancy. He was of high birth and 
eminent talents; but he consecrated all to 
the service of religion, and, laboring indefatigably 
among the Calvinists of the Chablais, was instru- 
mental, as a missionary, in leading back seventy- 
two thousand of those heretics to the true fold in the 
short space of three years. He was made bishop of 
Geneva in 1602, and by his sweet sanctity, his meek 
and affable bearing, proved himself a faithful imita- 
tor of the gentle Lamb of God. He wrote numerous 
and valuable works of piety, founded the Order of the 
Visitation nuns, and died at Lyons in December, 
1622. 



Pure in all things as an angel, 

Fond and simple as a child ; 
With himself severe and watchful, 

With the poor and fallen, mild: 
He proclaimed that passion leads us 

O'er a dark and thorny road, 
And that men are happy only 

When they love and serve their God. 

Rev. Dr. Cummings. 



Favorite Practice. 

Often to ponder these words : " My spirit is sweeter 
than honey and the honey comb. " 



(January 30. 



. ST. BATHOLDA, Widow. 

^T. BATHOLDA was originally a slave and in 
^ her early youth belonged to a Frank gentle- 
man attached to the court of Clovis II. By 
her noble virtues she attracted the notice of that king, 
who made her his wife. The young queen exerted 
her royal power for the most exalted ends, and 
passed her time in good works. When left a widow, 
and invested with the regency, she (who had once 
known the miseries of slavery) gave all the slaves in 
her kingdom their freedom. She founded the abbeys 
of Chelles and Corbie; and as soon as her son, Clo- 
thaire III., was old enough to ascend the throne she 
retired into the convent of Chelles, and closed her 
life, in the faithful practice of every monastic virtue, 
towards the year 685. 



My crown is in my heart, not on my head; 
Not decked with diamonds and Indian stones, 
Not to be seen; my crown is called Content: 
A crown it is that seldom kings enjoy. 

Shakespeare. 



Favorite Practice. 

To be convinced with Queen BalJwIda that to serve 
is to reign. 

38 



gJANUAI^Y 31. 



ST. PETER NOLASCO, Confessor. 

JTTN the thirteenth century a vast number of Chris- 
tians, captured by the infidels, were groaning 

^^ in bondage, far from their native land. In 
order to rescue these afflicted souls, exposed to the 
risk of losing their faith, Peter Nolasco, a French 
gentleman and courtier of the king of Arragon, felt 
inspired by God to establish an association for that 
sublime object. He was joined by thirteen pious 
companions, and the Order was founded on August 
10, 1218. An immense number of captives were 
ransomed by the instrumentality of St. Peter and his 
followers. He was favored with a vision of the 
Blessed Virgin, as well as with the sensible support 
of the angels. He died in 1280. 



Joy and gladness fill the heaven, 

When Night's curtains are withdrawn: 
Virgin! thou those smiles hast given — 
Thou, earth's brightest, fairest dawn! 
From theSpanish ^/Fra Alvaro de Hinojosa y Carbajal,OSB. 



Favorite Practice. 

By teaching the Christian doctrine, to free captive 
minds from the chains of ignorance, 
39 



ffetottswg. 



Moans the shiv'ring February : 
" Candlemas •, amid the snow, 
Bids the blessed tapers glow, 
Bids them burn for thee, Mary T 

E. C. D. 



FBBI^UAI^Y 1. 

ST. IGNATIUS, Bishop and Martyr. 

V Q^ T. IGNATIUS was the third bishop of Antiocru 
^J In the reign of the emperor Trajan he was 
^^ condemned to be devoured by wild beasts, 
and was despatched to Rome in order that he 
might suffer for the faith in the public amphi- 
theatre. He was inflamed with the most ardent de- 
sires to enjoy the vision of Christ Jesus, and was 
only fearful lest some unforeseen obstacle would post- 
pone or prevent the tortures which were to admit him 
to that celestial delight. When he heard the roar of 
the lions in the arena, he cried out. " I am the wheat 
of Christ that is to be ground under the tooth of the 
beasts." This martyrdom took place in the year 107, 



Not with the hope of gaining aught, 

Not seeking a reward, 
But as Thyself hast loved me, 

O ever-loving Lord ! 

E'en so I love Thee and' will love, 
And in Thy praise will sing, 

Solely because Thou art my God, 
And my eternal King. 



Missat. 



Favorite Practice. 

A cheerful acceptance of petty trials, exclaiming with 
St. Ignatius, in the midst of suffering, "Now, indeed y 
do I begin to be the disciple of Jesus Christ!" 
43 



FBB^UA^Y 2. 



THE PURIFICATION OF THE BLESSED VIR- 
GIN MARY. 

( ND after the days of her purification, accord- 
ing to the law of Moses, were accom- 
plished, they carried him to Jerusalem to 
present him to the Lord. . . . And to offer a sacri- 
fice, according as it is written in the law of the Lord, 
a pair of turtle doves or two young pigeons." — St. 
Luke ii. 22-24. 



The doves in their basket of osiers complain, 
And flutter their wings; but the Dove all Divine 
Lies mute in the arms of the Saint, gives no sign 
Of emotion or pain; 

Save to turn on the Prophet those wonderful Eyes r 
Those fathomless wells of perpetual light; 
The sun, and the moon, and the stars of the night, 
Were dark to those Eyes. 

And flushed with the glow of Eternity's dawn, 
From Simeon's lip bursts the anthem of faith, — 
The song of the saint is the sweetest in death, 
Like the song of the swan. 

Eleanor C. Donnelly. 



Favorite Practice. 

A patient waiting for the fulfilment of God's prom~ 

ises. 

44 



FEBI^UAI^Y 3. 



ST. BLAIZE, Bishop and Martyr. 

I -A U RING the reign of the emperor Diocletian, 
~^y St. Blaize was bishop of Sebaste in Armenia, 
^S 2 ^ and manifested a holy zeal for the purity of 
the faith and the sanctification of his flock. He was 
endowed with the gift of working miracles, and the 
sick had frequent recourse to him to be healed of 
their infirmities. In the persecution of Licinius St. 
Blaize suffered martyrdom, first being torn with iron 
hooks, and finally beheaded, in the year 316. This 
blessed martyr is specially invoked in diseases of 
the throat, having once, it is said, wrought a wonder- 
ful miracle upon the throat of a child who was brought 
to him in such a state of suffering as to threaten 
speedy death. 



. . . At his control, 
Despair and anguish fled the struggling- soul; 
Comfort came down the trembling wretch to raise. 
And his last faltering accents whispered praise. 

Oliver Goldsmith. 



Favorite Practice. 

To sectire the blessing of the throat, given annually 
tJiron^h the intercession of St. Blaize upon his festival. 



Fbb^ua^y & 



ST. ANDREW CORSINI, Bishop. 

jfl.N Florence, in the year 1302, St. Andrew was 
j|f born of the illustrious family of the Corsini. 
^^ His youth was spent in the wildest dissipa- 
tion; but, through the prayers and tears of his pious 
mother (who had offered her son to God before his 
birth), the grace of God, and the intercession of the 
Blessed Virgin Mary, wrought a sudden conversion 
in the young man's heart, and he became a Carmel- 
ite monk, and afterwards bishop of Fiesole. Both 
as a religious and as a prelate he led a most austere 
and saintly life. In his diocese he exercised a 
heavenly ministry of conciliation and peace, thus re- 
alizing a vision which his mother is said to have had 
prior to his birth, when it appeared to her that she 
had brought forth a wolf which was afterwards 
changed into a lamb. He entered into rest on Jan- 
uary 6, 1373, dying at Fiesole, beloved and lamented 
by all. 



. . . That I might scatter wide and far 
My Maker's praise from star to star. 
And joyous sing how He had smiled 
Forgiveness on His erring child. 

Gerald Griffin. 



Favorite Practice. 

To pray for the conversion of sinners, invoking to 
that end the intercession of the Immaculate Heart of 
Mary. 

46 



Fbbi^uai^y S. 



SAINT AGATHA, Virgin and Martyr. 

r I ^ H E youthful Agatha being very beautiful, rich, 
»v^K\ and of a noble house in the town of Catania, 
vL^ the pagan governor. Quintin, became en- 
amored of her, and wished to marry her. Bat 
Agatha had already secretly espoused herself to Jesus 
Christ, and repulsed the governor's addresses. ' En- 
raged at this, Quintin, on pretext of her being a 
Christian, delivered the tender virgin to the tortu- 
rers. She was forthwith scourged, torn with iron 
hooks, and her breasts and sides lacerated and 
scorched with fiery metal. After all these torments 
being cast into a dungeon, St. Peter the Apostle ap- 
peared to her and healed her wounds. She was 
brought before Quintin a second time, but remained 
inflexibly constant to her faith and sacred vow. St. 
Agatha was then ordered to be dragged over burning 
coals and afterwards over potsherds. An earthquake 
took place at the time of this second torture, and 
Quintin fled from the town in terror. St. Agatha died 
in prison the next night, a.d. 251. 



Flower of the lily ! on thee Heaven's dews drop down ; 

Treasure the sweetness of the Hidden Life ; 

Thy Nazareth is Mary's Paradise. 

Jesus is thine ; thy Spouse, thy virgin-crown. 

Joseph W. S. Norris. 



Favorite Practice. 

An unyielding constancy in good resolutions, "With 
purpose of heart to co?ttinue in the Lord" 

47 



FBBI^UAI^Y 6. 



ST. DOROTHY, Virgin and Martyr. 

T. DOROTHY was a noble virgin of the city 
S^) °f Cesarea, in Cappadocia, of exceeding 
grace and beauty, and devoted to a life of 
prayer and almsgiving. She was apprehended for 
the faith, and on her trial expressed her joyful will- 
ingness to die for Christ, declaring that in the gar- 
den of her Eternal Spouse grew celestial fruits, and 
flowers which never fade. She was condemned to 
be cruelly tortured and then beheaded. As she was 
led forth to death, a young lawyer of the city mocked 
her, and asked her to send him some flowers and 
fruits from the wonderful Garden of her Bridegroom. 
Dorothy gently smiled and assented. And when 
Theophilus, the lawyer, sat, later, making merry 
with his friends, an angel appeared to him with a 
basket of roses and apples, saying, " Dorothea sends 
thee this." The result of this miracle was the in- 
stantaneous conversion of Theophilus, who was after- 
wards martyred for the faith. St. Dorothy suffered 

in 303. 

— -♦ 

. . . They remind me, too, 

Of martyred Dorothea, 

Who from celestial gardens sent 

Flowers as her witnesses 

To him who scoffed and doubted. 

Henry W. Longfellow. 



Favorite Practice. 

To consider that our spiritual garden must produce not 
only beautiful flowers but substa?itial fruits of piety. 

48 



Fbbi^uai^y I. 



ST. ROMUALD, Abbot. 

\ T Ravenna, about the year 956, St. Romuald 
was born, and bred without true Christian 
training. His early years were wild and 
disorderly; but, having acted as second in a duel 
in which his own father fought and killed a rel- 
ative, Romuald was so deeply impressed with the 
fatal result that he retired into a neighboring mon- 
astery, and there, touched by divine grace, made a 
spiritual retreat and became a monk. His father was 
enraged at this step, but the young convert, by his 
prayers and good example, finally induced his guilty 
parent to also renounce the world and become a 
religious. St. Romuald ultimately founded a new 
Order, known as the Monks of Camaldoli, and died 
the death of the just in the year 1027. 



Like Abraham ascending up the hill 
To sacrifice, his servants left below, 
That he might act the great Commander's will 
Without impeach to his obedient blow ; 
• Even so, the soul, remote from earthly things, 
Should mount Salvation's shelter — Mercy's wings. 

Father Robert Southwell, SJ. 



Favorite Practice. 

To prize the moment of grace, and to correspond 
promptly to it. 

49 



REBI^UAI^Y 8. 



ST. JOHN OF MATHA, Confessor. 

T. JOHN DE MATHA was born in Provence, 
of devout parents, about the middle of the 
twelfth century, and was carefully trained 
in piety. He studied at Aix. and subsequently 
at Paris, devoting all his leisure time to works of 
mercy to the poor and afflicted. He was finally or- 
dained priest, and on the day of his first Mass he 
conceived the project of founding a religious Order 
devoted to the redemption of captives. The Chris- 
tians captured by pirates, and in bondage among the 
Mussulmans in Spain and Africa were subjected to 
outrageous abuse, and in danger of losing their faith. 
The new Order was called the Trinitarians, and St. 
John de Matha led himself the first expedition for the 
ransoming of the Christian slaves. Worn out with 
his great labors in the sublime cause, he died in 
1213. 



O brave young Christian herald ! from afar 
Comes thy bright story as a guiding- star ; 
Neglectful centuries could not hide thy fame 
Nor dim the lustre of thy glorious name. 

Rev. Patrick Cronin. 



Favorite Practice. 

To visit and console poor prisoners. 
50 



Febi^uai^y a 



ST. APOLLONIA, Virgin and Martyr. 

tHERE dwelt in the city of Alexandria, in the 
third century, a wealthy magistrate and his 
wife, who were heathens and had no children. 
Once, this magistrate's wife out of charity entertained 
and gave alms to three Christian pilgrims, who in 
return, preached to her the faith of Christ and the 
efficacy of devotion to the Blessed Virgin. As the 
woman was eagerly desirous of offspring, she (heathen 
as she was) besought the Mother of God to obtain for 
her a child. Her prayer was heard, and a daughter 
was born to her, who was called Apollonia. She grew 
up fair and beautiful, and was baptized a Christian, 
and was then directed by an angel to go preach the 
faith in Alexandria. Many were converted by her 
wonderful eloquence, but her own heathen father de- 
livered her up to martyrdom. She was bound to a 
column, and all her beautiful teeth pulled out one by 
one; and finally a fire was kindled and she was flung 
into it, and thus went to God in the year 250. St. 

Apollonia is invoked in diseases of the teeth. 

♦ 

O fair ! O fortunate ! O rich ! O dear ' 
O happy and thrice happy she, 
Dear silver-breasted dove, 
Whoe'er she be, 
Whose early love, 
With winged vows, 
Makes haste to meet her morning Spouse! 

Richard Crashaw. 



Favorite Practice. 

Almsgiving with a supernatural intention, seeing 
God alone hi the persons of His poor. 
51 



FEBI^UAI^Y 10. 



ST. SCHOLASTICA, Virgin. 

-. r O T. SCHOLASTICA was the sister of the great 

^^^ St. Benedict, and her soul was his particular 
^^^ charge from early youth. When her holy 
brother founded the monastery of Monte Cassino, 
Scholastica took up her abode close by, and thus 
was ab:e. at intervals, to receive the instructions 
and direction of St. Benedict. At their last inter- 
view. Scholastica felt a premonition of her approach- 
ing death, and besought her brother to extend his 
visit beyond its usual limits. This, through a spirit 
of mortification, he declined to do. St. Scholastica 
had recourse to : nd a sudden storm arose, 

whose violence compelled St. Benedict to remain 
where he was. Three days afterward, on the ioth 
::' February, 543, Benedict beheld his sister's soul 
ascending to heaven in the form _:' a white iove 



. . . It is enough 
To catch one glimpse of heaven's blue, 
For us to know the beauty of the sky. 
It is enough to tell a little part 
Of her most holy life, that you may knew 
The bidden grace and splendor of the whole. 

Father Ryan. 



Favorite Practice. 
To submit ones spiritual life to the guidance of a 
wist :. nd ~ director. 

52 



Febi^uai^y 11. 



ST. SEVERINUS, Abbot. 

j BBOT of the monastery of St. Maurice in 
~/""V the Valais, St. Severinus was remarkable in 
the fifth century for his eminent charity 
and for the many miraculous cures he effected 
in the sick. Clovis I. of France, in the year 507. 
being ill of an obstinate fever which baffled the skill 
of his physicians, sent for the holy abbot of St. Mau- 
rice; and no sooner had Severinus laid upon the 
king the hem of his monastic robe and besought 
Heaven for his cure, than the monarch was healed of 
his malady. In gratitude to the saint. King Clovis 
gave him permission to draw from the royal coffers 
abundant alms for the poor, and to set at liberty 
all such prisoners as he might deem fit. On his way 
back to his monastery, Severinus happily expired. 



There beside the failing lamp 
Of the lowly and the stricken 
He hath stood to cheer and quicken. 

Dr. R. D. Joyce. 



Favorite Practice. 

Frequent visits to the sick, and particularly to those 
who are poor and desolate. 

53 



FEBI^UAI^Y 12. 




ST. EULALIA, Virgin and Martyr. 

YOUNG Spanish virgin, a native of Barce- 
lona, St. Eulalia, in the persecution of the 
<yy^~ emperor Diocletian, gave herself up to the 
tyrant Dacian, professing her faith in Christ, and 
upbraiding her judge for his cruelty. She was there- 
upon subjected to the most barbarous atrocities; but 
miracles were wrought even during these tortures, 
for the fire which was applied to the martyr either 
failed to burn her pure flesh or was turned against 
her tormentors. She finally, however, yielded up 
her virgin soul amid the flames, ascending to God in 
the shape of a gentle bird; and her body having 
been cast to the beasts, was so protected by a super- 
natural cloud that the Christians were able to bear it 
safely away. 



And rack and torture shall be wreathed with roses, 
And death be painless when it leads to Thee; 
For men shall see how strong that soul can be 

Which on Thy strength reposes. 

From " Domus Dei.' 



Favorite Practice. 

To fear not them that kill the body, but to fear Him 
ivho can destroy both body and soul. 

54 



FEBI^UAI^Y 13. 



ST. GREGORY IL, Pope. 

v v^? T. GREGORY is especially remarkable for 
y^^ having zealously opposed the fury of the 
Iconoclasts, in the eighth century, who waged 
a bitter war against sacred symbols, ruthlessly de- 
stroying religious statues, crosses, and pictures, 
under the pretence of zeal for the glory of God. The 
authority of Leo, the Isaurian, then occupying the im- 
perial throne of Constantinople, was exerted to up- 
hold these fanatics in their outrages upon the holy 
images, dear to the veneration of the faithful. Pope 
Gregory therefore assembled a council in 726, which 
resulted in the condemnation of the Iconoclasts. The 
emperor became enraged, and indulged in terrible 
threats; but St. Gregory calmly and bravely upheld 
the decrees of the council ; and five years later 
slept tranquilly in the Lord. 



As some tall cliff that lifts its awful form, 
Swells from the vale, and midway leaves the storm; 
Though round its breast the rolling- clouds are spread, 
Eternal sunshine settles on its head. 

Oliver Goldsmith. 



Favorite Practice. 

A tender 7'evercnce for the holy images of Christ, His 
Mother, and His saints. 

55 



Fbbi^uai^y 1ft. 



ST. VALENTINE, Priest and Martyr. 

I ELOXGIXG to one of the noblest families of 
Rome, St. Valentine (in the reign of Claudius 
II.) was a priest, especially charged to as- 
oisfr the Christian confessors and martyrs. The 
emperor, hearing of his good works, sent for him; 
and the gentle, persuasive eloquence of Valen- 
tine (like that of St. Paul before an earlier mon- 
arch) almost induced the emperor to become a 
follower of Christ. But considerations of state pre- 
vailed, and the meek Valentine was surrendered to 
the tribunal. Here he worked a great miracle by re- 
storing sight to the daughter of one of the officers of 
the prsetorium. who had been blind for two years; 
and the miracle converted the entire household of 
the judge, consisting of more than forty persons. 
The emperor, learning of this, sought to have Valen- 
tine released; but, fearing a tumult among the peo- 
ple, as in the case of Pilate, he consigned the just 
man to execution, and St. Valentine was accordingly 
beheaded outside the city of Rome in the year 270. 



Valentine: the name is good, 
For it comes of lineage high 
And a famous family; 
And it tells of gentle blood. 
Xoble blood, and nobler still; 
For its owner freely poured 
Every drop there was to spill 
In the battle for his Lord. 

Cardinal Newman. 



Favorite Practice. 

In the cause of justice and truth to remember that 
1 the wisdom of the flesh is death." 
56 



Fbbi^uai^y 1$. 



SS. FAUSTINUS and JOVITA, Martyrs. 

^HESE holy Christian brothers were natives of 
Brescia, in Lombardy, and were character- 
ized by a fervent piety from their early youth. 
At that period none were admitted to Holy Order* 
save confessors of the faith, or those who had sigi al- 
ized themselves by devoted acts. These Brescian 
brothers were, therefore, advanced to that great dig- 
nity as a reward for their zeal and singular holiness. 
St. Faustinus as a priest, St. Jovita as a deacon, 
both devoted themselves to the cause of religion, 
consoling the persecuted Christians and succor- 
ing the martyrs. They were eventually denounced 
for the faith, and were cast to the wild beasts. The 
bears and the lions, less cruel than their masters, al- 
lowed the martyrs to remain untouched; and the exe- 
cutioners, having first broken the brothers' bones, 
beheaded them both at Brescia in the year 122. 



When earth too closely presses, 

And heaven seems far away, 
The thought of these will help you 

To turn to God and pray. 

Rev. Matthew Russell, S J. 



Favorite Practice. 

Family union in prayer and good works. 
57 



FEBI^UA^Y 16. 



ST. ONESIMUS, Bishop and Martyr. 

tHE slave of Philemon of Colossus (who was a 
convert of St. Paul the Apostle), Onesimus, 
robbed his master, ran away from him, and 
made his way to St. Paul at Rome. The great 
apostle converted and baptized the bondman, and 
then sent him back to Philemon, charging the latter to 
receive Onesimus as a brother, and to give to him his 
freedom. The letter containing these instructions to 
Philemon is one of the most touching and beautiful 
of the epistles of St. Paul. Once at liberty, Onesimus 
devoted himself to St. Paul, who sent him, in com- 
pany with St. Tychicus, to bear an epistle to the 
Colossians. He was afterwards made bishop of 
Ephesus. In the persecution of Domitian St. Onesi- 
mus was sent in chains to Rome, and there was 
stoned to death in the year 95. 



Oh, let us seize on what is stable 

And not on what is shifting ! All 

Rushes down Life's vast waterfall 

On to that sea interminable 

Which has no shore. Earth's pleasures pall. 

But heaven is safe and sacred too. 

From the Spanish of Francisco De Velasox 



Favorite Practice. 

To use every lawful means to rescue souls frmn the 
slavery of sin. 

58 



Febi^uai^y 17. 



ST FLAVIAN, Bishop and Martyr. 

^1^^ T. FLAVIAN was archbishop of Constantino-- 
y^^ pie in 407; but through the machinations of 
^^ Chrysapius, chamberlain to the emperor The- 
odosius the Younger, and also a relative of the here- 
siarch Eutychius, the just Flavian was deposed from 
his archiepiscopal dignity. Finding that the^ r were 
unable by their snares to depose him on the charge 
of simony, the very incorruptibility of the upright 
prelate was made a pretext for his ruin. Because he 
would not favor heresy or make rich presents to the 
emperor out of the funds belonging of right to the poor 
of Christ, the holy archbishop was subjected to bitter 
persecution. He appealed at length to the Pope 
against the unjust sentence passed upon him; and 
his enemies, becoming exasperated, fell upon him, 
and maltreated him to such a degree that he died 
shortly after in exile at Ephesus. 



Oh, fear not in a world like this, 
And thou shalt know ere long, — 

Know how sublime a thing it is 
To suffer and be strong. 

Henry W. Longfellow. 



Favorite Practice. 

To be courageous under unjust persecution^ 



FEBI^UAI^Y 18. 



>> 



ST. SIMEON, Bishop and Martyr. 

^ T. SIMEON, the son of Cleophas, was (accord- 
^ ing to the flesh) a kinsman of our Lord Jesus 
f^- 7 Christ. He succeeded St. James the Less in 
the see of Jerusalem; and after having governed 
that diocese for a long time through a very tur- 
bulent period, he was denounced as a Christian, 
subjected to prolonged torments, and finally died on 
the cross at the great age of 120 years. 

The learned Abbe Lecanu compares St. Simeon 
to the brave old man Eleazar who, in the time of the 
persecution of Antiochus, "gave to the youth of his 
day a splendid example of holy courage by encounter- 
ing death rather than renounce, or even seem to 
waver in his belief." 



O faithful cross ! O noblest tree ! 
In all our woods there's none like thee: 
No earthly groves, no shady bowers, 
Produce such leaves, such fruit, such flowers. 
Sweet are the nails, and sweet the wood, 
That bears a weight so sweet and good ! 

Crux jidelis. 



Favorite Practice. 

To U7tite each daily cross to the cross of our Divine 
Lord. 

60 



RBBI^UAI^Y 19. 



ST. BARBATUS, Bishop. 

, N eloquent young priest of the diocese of 
Benevento, St. Barbatus was noted for his 
grave, pious, and studious life, and was 
chosen by his bishop to fill an important parochial 
charge. He was severely tried by the apparently 
fruitless results of his missionary labors. He was 
scorned and calumniated; but remaining faithful to 
duty, he was in the end chosen bishop of Benevento, 
and long governed that see with admirable wisdom 
and ability. He had the happiness of converting 
the Lombard nation to the faith, and of winning 
the friendship of their ruler, Pertharitus. Full of 
good works, Barbatus died at a green old age in 
the year 682. 



Heavenly image, — earthly mould, — 

Beautiful as bright to view: 
Oh, what charms its leaves unfold 

Drenched with Suffering's sparkling dew! 
From the Spanish o/Yrk Alvaro Hinojosa y Carbajal,O.S.B. 



Favorite Practice. 

Patience under calumny, knowing that one must be 
proved by trial in order to be acceptable to God. 
61 



FBBI^UAI^Y 20. 



ST. EUCHERIUS, Bishop and Confessorv 

1 T. EUCHERIUS was a scion of an illustrious 
family of Orleans; and Savarms, the bishop 
of that town, was his uncle. On the death of 
the latter, in 771, Eucherius was forced to quit the 
abbey of Jumieges (where he was living in religious 
retirement), and became bishop of Orleans in his 
uncle's stead. He discharged the duties of his high 
position with saintly fervor and fidelity. Having re- 
fused to bestow upon Charles Martel and his soldiers 
the property of the Church, which the holy bishop con- 
sidered the patrimony of the poor, he was driven into 
exile, and persecuted fiercely for six years by the 
minions of Charles. Worn out with fatigue and suf- 
fering, St. Eucherius died in 793, having worn the 
mitre for twenty-two years. 



O pure and blessed soul 

That, from thy clay's control 
Escaped, hast sought and found thy native sphere, 

And from thy crystal throne 

Look'st down, with smiles alone. 
On this vain scene of mortal hope and fear. 

From the Italian of Jacopo Sannazzaro. 



Favorite Practice. 

To meekly endure persecution for justice' sake. 



PBBI^UAI^Y 21. 



ST. SEVERINUS, Bishop and Martyr. 

*T. SEVERINUS. in the fifth century of the 
Christian era, had the heroic courage to stand 
forth in defence of the faith against the heresy 
of Eutychius. which the Council of Chalcedon had 
already condemned. It was long before peace was 
restored to the Church. The heresy had corrupted 
some of the religious of Palestine; and the patriarch 
Juvenal of Jerusalem was driven from his see by a 
monastic usurper who persecuted the faithful. Seve- 
rinus was the bishop of Scytopolis, and as he cour- 
ageously opposed the usurper, Theodosius, the 
generosity of his zeal enkindled against him all 
the fury of the heretics. He was seized by the 
soldiery, dragged out of the town, and put to a vio- 
lent death in 453. 



... I know the name. 
Many martyrs bear the same. 
And they stand in glittering- ring 
Round their warrior God and King, 
Who before and for them bled, — 
With their robes of ruby red 
And their swords of cherub-flame. 

Cardinal Newman. 



Favorite Practice. 
To beseech St. Severinus to obtain for us a share in his 
holy zeal to combat heresy. 

63 



PBBI^UAI^Y 22. 



ST. PETER'S CHAIR AT ANTIOCH. 

' V ^HE Church at Antioch was founded by the glo- 
-ij^ rious apostle St. Peter; and it was at Antioch 
vJ^ that (according to the Acts of the Apostles) 
the disciples of Jesus Christ first received the name 
of Christians. For it is written: " And Barnabas 
went to Tarsus to seek Paul: whom when he had 
found he brought to Antioch. And they conversed 
there in the church a whole year: and they taught a 
great multitude, so that at Antioch the disciples were 
first named Christians." To be a Christian, there- 
fore, is to be the disciple of Christ, and, conse- 
quently, to be one of the faithful imitators of a cruci- 
fied Lord. 



. . . Raise your thoughts to that bright realm above 

Where Christian Faith and Hope are lost in all-absorbing Love, 

And blend the serpent's prudence with the sweetness of the 

dove; 
And faithful to our land and creed, in their bright footsteps 

move. 
Who fought and bled and conquered all those centuries ago ! 
Father Thomas Burke, O.P. 



Favorite Practice. 

A practical rez'ere7ice for the name and obligations of 
a true Christian. 

64 



REBI^UAI^Y 23. 



>& 



ST. SERENUS, Marty*-. 

rj T. SERENUS was a Greek gardener, who (an 
^ exile from his native place) devoted his time 
^^ to prayer and labor. A certain woman be- 
came enamored of the young Greek, as he wrought 
in the retirement of his garden at Sirmium, in Pan- 
nonia, and tried to allure him from virtue; but 
Serenus, like another Joseph, repulsed the temp- 
tress. Infuriated, she laid a complaint before her 
husband, who was serving in the body-guard of the 
emperor Maximian, and falsely accused Serenus of 
having insulted her. The saint, being arrested on this 
charge, by the mere force of his serene truth and his 
candor established his innocence before his judges; 
but the purity of his defence having caused him, 
then and there, to be recognized as a Christian, 
he was sentenced to the block, and martyred in 
the year 307. 



... I cannot give 
The counsel to do this and live; 
But rather firmly to deny 
The tempter, though his power is strong; 
And inaccessible to wrong - , 
Still like a martyr live and die! 

Henry W. Longfellow. 



Favorite Practice. 

A scrupulous vigilance against the assaults of sensu- 
ality. 

65 



FEBI^UAI^Y 2$. 



ST. MATTHIAS, Apostle. 

FTER the awful suicide of the arch-traitor 
Judas, the Apostles, wished to fill the place 
in the Sacred College left vacant by that 
tragic death. But they did not dare to arrogate to 
themselves the right of creating an apostle. To God 
alone belonged this high prerogative, and therefore 
on the Day of Pentecost they selected from among 
the disciples the two most eligible to the office, and 
after prayer drew lots to ascertain the choice of the 
Most High. The lot fell upon Matthias. He became 
one of the Apostles of Christ, and is believed to have 
preached the faith in Cappadocia, and on the coasts 
of the Caspian Sea, residing chiefly near the port 
Issus. He was remarkable for his austere life, and 
must have undergone great hardships among the sav- 
age people he evangelized. According to tradition, 
he received the crown of martvrdom in Colchis. 



With Fear we must begin, 

Then next to Knowledge tend, 
But only Love of God 

Is Wisdom's perfect end. 
From the German of Rev. Father Scheffler. 



Favorite Practice. 

To often reflect that if we abuse the grace of God 
as Judas did, His favors may be withdrawn from us 
and bestowed upon the souls of others. 

66 



FEBI^UAI^Y 2®. 



ST. TARAISIUS, Bishop. 

[ T. TARAISIUS was patriarch of Constantino- 
^^ pie about the middle of the eighth century. 
He had been reared in great luxury, but his 
chief care was to inculcate among his clergy and 
flock, by his own simplicity of life and devotion to 
the humblest functions of the ministry, a sincere and 
practical contempt for worldly pomps and gratifica- 
tions. By his religious veneration for sacred images, 
he remedied the outrages of the Iconoclasts, and at 
the same time he firmiy advocated the denunciation 
of the emperor Constantine V., who had divorced his 
lawful wife in order to marry a concubine. Taraisius, 
after a long and arduous episcopate, died in 806. 



Blessed are they who die for God 

And earn the martyr's crown of light; 

Yet he who lives for God may be 
A greater conqueror in His sight. 

Adelaide A. Procter. 



Favorite Practice. 

Simplicity of taste in all those personal matters which 
tojicern dress and social station. 
67 



FEBI^UAI^Y 26. 



ST. PORPHYRIUS, Bishop 

|ORN at Thessalonica, of a wealthy family, St. 
Porphyrius retired in early manhood to the 
ttt Egyptian monastery of Scete, where he lived 
till the age of thirty, in the constant and most edify- 
ing practice of monastic discipline. He then went 
on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and fixed his 
abode in a cave on the banks of the Jordan, desiring 
nevermore to quit the place made sacred by the pres- 
ence of his Lord and Master. Here his austerities 
so enfeebled him that he was scarcely able 10 walk; 
but being supported to Mount Calvary, he was mi- 
raculously cured of his infirmities on that hallowed 
spot He was afterwards made bishop of Gaza, and, 
having been instrumental in spreading Christianity 
among the unbelievers there, until nearly the whole 
city was converted to the faith, he died happily in his 
see, a.d. 420. 



Like pilgrims to the appointed place we tend: 
The world's an inn, and death, the journey's end. 

John Dryden. 



Favorite Practice. 

To consider it a happy privilege to joy fully spend and 
be spent for Christ, 

6& 



PBBI^UAI^Y 27. 



ST. JULIAN, Martyr. 

^aT^T^HILE the persecution of the emperor Decius 
^YpM? W as afflicting the Church in Alexandria, 
c <^ > and causing the faith of many weak Chris- 

tians to waver or fail, a venerable man named Julian, 
who was paralyzed by age, was borne before the judges 
in a litter. As he was a staunch and uncompromis- 
ing believer, neither his years nor his infirmities 
could interfere with his torments. He was bound 
to a camel, driven through the town, scourged, 
insulted, and at last thrown alive into a fire that had 
been kindled for him. His courage and constancy, 
however, were invincible, and not only inspired one 
of his own servants to undergo martyrdom, but also 
converted one of the pagan soldiers, who was put to 
death with St. Julian. 



And tell how, trampled, derided, hated, 
And worn by weakness, disease, and wrong, 
He fled for shelter to God. 

James Clarence Mangan. 



Favorite Practice. 

To win others to virtue by the holy force of an edi- 
fying example. 



FEBI^UAI^Y 28. 



ST. PROTERIUS, Martyr. 

v^D T. PROTERIUS was patriarch of Alexandria 
v^^ in 452, his predecessor, Dioscorus (a partisan 
^^-^ of the arch-heretic Eutychius), having been 
deposed by the Council of Chalcedon. Great confu- 
sion and trouble prevailed in the divided city. Pro- 
terius, in his turn, was expelled violently from his 
see by the heretical Eutychians, but only to be restored 
again to his dignity by the civil power. The heretics, 
knowing the firmness of the rightful patriarch, and 
infuriated at their failure in deposing him, pursued 
him on Good Friday, in the year 457, to the church 
of St. Quirinus. There in the baptistry they bound 
Proterius with cords, trampled on him, and dragged 
his body thence through the city streets. Finally, 
tearing the martyr limb from limb, they burnt his 
•remains, and scattered his ashes to the winds. 



Aromatic plants bestow 
No spicy fragrance while they grow ; 
But, crushed or trodden to the ground, 
Diffuse their balmy sweets around. 

Oliver Goldsmith. 



Favorite Practice. 

To be firm in the cause of truth and right. 

7 C 



REBI^UAI^Y 29. 



ST. OSWALD, Confessor. 

tHE nephew of Odo, archbishop of Canterbury. 
St. Oswald was originally a monk in the abbey 
of St. Bennet-on-the-Loire. He was recalled 
to England to succeed St. Dunstan in the see of Wor- 
cester, and later to hold that of York. He founded 
numerous monasteries, being ever partial to the clois- 
tered life, and by his apostolic labors he extended the 
sway of learning and piety throughout his dioceses. 
Every day, twelve poor persons were admitted to his 
table, and (after having washed and kissed their feet) 
he served them humbly with his own hands. When 
he had administered the episcopal charge for thirty- 
three years he began to feel that his end was near. 
He therefore retired among his beloved monks, and 
joyfully expired on the 29th of February, 992, pro- 
nouncing with his dying lips, " Glory be to the 
Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost !" 



. . . Time has laid his hand 
Upon my heart gently, not smiting it, 
But as a harper lays his open palm 
Upon his harp to deaden its vibrations. 

Henry W. Longfellow. 



Favorite Practice. 

To reverence and serve our Lord in the persons of 
His poor, 

V- 



2Havcfe. 



Cries the boisterous March: "/see 
Early snow-drops in the way, — 

Sweet Annunciation Day 
Blooms, sinless Maid ! for thee .'"' 

E. C. D. 



73 



fflAI^GH 1. 



ST. HERCULANUS, Bishop of Perugia, and 
Martyr. 

A 7k BOUT the middle of the sixth century, when 
V* Totila was establishing the second Gothic 
kingdom of Italy, and most of the Italian 
cities were submitting to him, Perugia held out 
for a long period — seven years, it is said — against 
his arms. This obstinate resistance was due to the 
intrepidity of St. Herculanus, then bishop of the 
city, who rallied the drooping spirits of the towns- 
people and animated them to defend their liberty 
and their faith. Perugia being finally taken by 
fraud when force had proved of no avail, St. Hercu- 
lanus was beheaded by order of the tyrant. His 
head, however, was miraculously reunited to his body, 
and his relics are preserved entire at Perugia. We 
append a translation of the nth verse of our present, 
illustrious Pontiff's hymn in honor of this saint. 



Now reigning- in the heavenly hall, 

Thine intercession must prevail ; 
On Thee in confidence we call, 

O Pastor, Patron, Parent, hail ! 

Trans, by Prof. A. J. Stace. 



Favorite Practice. 

To animate the faith of others by our own heroic ex-- 
ample. 

75 



CQai^gh % 



ST. SIMPLICIUS, Pope and Confessor. 

>v£^ T. SIMPLICIUS, already made famous by his 
v^) piety and learning, during the pontificate of 
r^s St. Leo and St. Hilary, ascended the papal 
chair in 467. The Arian and Macedonian heresies were 
then being boldly supported by the imperial authori- 
ties of the age, and the seamless robe of Christendom 
was torn by violence and schism. But St. Simplicius 
did not despair. By his fervent prayers, by the pru- 
dence and firmness of his policy, he met and mas- 
tered the difficulties which threatened the cause of 
Christ; and after twelve laborious years of ecclesi- 
astical administration he died in 483, leaving the 
Church in perfect peace. 



Well has the name of Pontifex been given 
Unto the Church's head, as the chief builder 
And architect of the invisible bridge 
That leads from earth to heaven. 

Hknry W. Longfellow. 



Favorite Practice. 

To convince yourself that prayer and perseverance 
conquer all things. 

76 



GQAI^GH 3. 

ST. CUNEGUNDA, Queen. 

r J-^HE wife of the emperor Henry II., St. Cune- 
•v^K gunda during the lifetime of her royal hus- 
band exercised her power continually in the 
cause of the poor and oppressed. She founded num- 
erous monasteries, churches, and bishoprics; and on 
the death of Henry II., she called together the pre- 
lates of the empire, and in their presence cast her 
imperial robes and insignia at the foot of the cruci- 
fix. Then, having received the religious veil and 
habit, she withdrew to a convent, and lived there the 
life of an humble, obedient, and laborious nun, until 
her death in the year 1040. 



I from my memory have effaced 

All former joys, all kindred, friends ; 
All honors that my station graced 

I hold but snares that fortune sends : 
Hence ! joys by Christ at distance cast, 
That we may be His own at last ! 
From the French of Queen Margaret of Navarre. 



Favorite Practice. 

To detach one's self, at least in spirit, from the 
hono7's and riches of the ivorld. 
11 



GQai^gh a. 



ST. CASIMIR, Confessor. 

vC~r ^ • CASIMIR was born at Cracow in 1453. 
^^2) an( l was a younger son of Casimir III., 
~ king of Polaiid. He was highly gifted in 

mind and heart; but the treasures of his gentle 
soul so far excelled those of nature, that his chief 
solicitude amid the dangers of his father's court was 
to faithfully preserve his baptismal innocence. He 
was zealous in works of piety, and manifested a 
lively devotion to the Blessed Virgin. He died at 
the early age of twenty- five, and miracles were 
wrought at his tomb. A century after his death, 
his body was exhumed and discovered to be in- 
corrupt — a token of the spotless innocence of his life.. 



Alas! my spirit dreads a stain contracted from the ground: 
How shall it guard the robe of white that is its heavenly- 
dower ; 
Here where we walk in mire and clay, and dust is flying round, 
Which clings to everything it meets, yes, even to the flower ! 

Eugenie de Gu£rin. 



Favorite Practice. 

To inculcate in children a great solicitude to pre- 
serve their baptismal innocence. 
78 



GQai^gh g. 



SS. PERPETUA and FELICITAS, Martyrs. 

* A ^ MONG the Christian catechumens in the reign 
./•^ of the emperor Severus (a.d. 203 or 204) 
<^_^- there were two married women, named Per- 
petua and Felicitas. During the violent persecu- 
tion of that period they were both loaded with 
chains and cast into prison at Carthage. There they 
were baptized by the other expectant martyrs. Per- 
petua had a babe still at the breast, and Felicitas 
brought forth a child amid the cruel discomforts of 
her dungeon. But both resisted alike the threats of 
tyrants or the pleading tears of pagan relatives; and 
having been tossed in the arena on the horns of a 
furious heifer, they were despatched at last by the 
sword of the gladiator. 



On Thee we fling our burdening woe, 

O Love Divine, forever dear, 
Content to suffer, while we know, 

Living and dying, Thou art near ! 

Oliver Wendell Holmes. 



Favorite Practice. 

To be faithful to duty in spite of the pleadings of 
nature. 



fflAI^GH 6. 



ST. COLLETTA, Virgin. 

Y^^ T. COLLETTA was born at Corbie in 1380, and 
y^) after a long novitiate of suffering and pen- 
^^ ance, inspired by a vision from heaven, and 
furnished with full powers by Pope Benedict XI II., 
she began the reform of the third Order of St. 
Clara. Her zeal was tried by the most painful perse- 
cutions. She was foully abused and calumniated by 
her enemies, but endured all their insults with holy 
gentleness. She reformed many houses, and founded 
others, before her happy death, which took place at 
Ghent in 1447. 



Sow; and look onward, upward, 

Where the starry light appears — 
Where, in spite of the coward's doubting 

Or your own heart's trembling fears, 
You shall reap in joy the harvest 

You have sown to-day in tears. 

Adelaide A. Procter. 



Favorite Practice. 

To exercise yourself in practical piety if you would 
seek successfully to influence others. 



(QAI^GH 7. 



ST. THOMAS AQUINAS, Confessor and Doctor. 

Jul ^HE Angelic Doctor," as St. Thomas Aquinas 
v^\ is appropriately called, was born of the 
vl^ noble family of the Counts of Acqui in the 
kingdom of Naples. His relatives placed him in early 
childhood at the monastery of Monte Cassino, and 
designed him to become in time the abbot of that 
rich house; but seeing later that the eminent talents 
of the young nobleman would be apt to raise him to 
a brilliant position in the world, they used every 
means to dissuade him from consecrating himself to 
God in holy religion. St. Thomas, enlightened by 
divine grace, fled away from their evil and corrupt 
snares, and entered the Order of St. Dominic. He 
became the ornament and light not only of that Order 
but of the whole Church, and died in 1274. 



* Thomas, of Me well hast thou written; 

What shall thy work reward ?" 
Swift was the answer fondly given, 
" Naught but Thyself, O Lord !" 

Ellen Downing. 



Favorite Practice. 

To assure ourselves that if we choose the better pa?'t, 
it shall not be taken away from us. 



(Qai^gh a 



ST. JOHN OF GOD, Confessor. 

JIT N Portugal, in 1495, was born a poor boy named 
j]| John, whose early youth was passed in sinful 
^^ dissipation. He became a soldier, and was 
still living a disorderly life, when he was converted to 
God by a manifest proof of the power of the Blessed 
Virgin Mary, whom he had invoked in a moment of 
extreme peril. He began at once to do penance for 
the past, and even travelled into Africa in the hope 
of being martyred. But not attaining his desire, he 
returned to Spain and devoted his days to the care of 
the sick. He established an hospital, and later a 
religious community, known as the Order of Charitv. 
After herculean and heroic labors in the cause of the 
sick and suffering. St. John of God died in 1550. 



Thy grace can send its breathings o'er 
The spirit dark and lost before, 
And fresh'ning all its depths, prepare 
For Truth divine to enter there. 

Thomas Moore. 



Favorite Practice. 

To recognize our Lord in the persons of the sick and 
afflicted. 



(Qai^gh 9. 



ST. FRANCES OF ROME, Widow. 

^Tp^HE beautiful daughter of a wealthy and illus- 
v^Jn trious family of Rome, St. Frances was born 
in 13S4; and while still very young was mar- 
ried to Lawrence de Pontians, with whom she lived in 
most happy and harmonious union for forty years. 
Her beauty was surpassed only by her loveliness of 
character. She fulfilled with holy fervor her duties 
as a wife and mother; dressed with great simplicity; 
and preferred prayer and good works to worldly en- 
tertainments and spectacles. Her charming example 
induced many noble houses to model their rule of life 
on hers. When Lawrence de Pontians died, she re- 
tired to the religious congregation of the Oblates, 
which she had founded, and died there in 1440. 



Life is only bright when it proceedeth 
Towards a truer, deeper Life above: 

Human love is sweetest when it leadeth 
To a more divine and perfect Love. 

Adelaide A. Procter, 



Favorite Practice. 

A sweet and affable fulfilment of little every-day 
thities. 



fflAI^GH 10. 



THE FORTY MARTYRS OF SEBASTE, 

*TTi, N the year 220, whilst the cruel Licinius was ex 
jf hausting his fury against the followers of Christ, 
^^ forty soldiers of the garrison at Sebaste re- 
fused to join their pagan comrades in offering sacri- 
fice to the idols. They were tortured, therefore, by 
fire and sword, and at last, remaining steadfast, were 
stripped naked and thrown into an icy pool, within 
sight of a bath of warm water. While the pagan 
keeper kept guard over the sufferers he saw angels 
hovering in the air above them, bearing, however, 
only thirty-nine crowns. The man wondered at the 
vision, but one of the intended martyrs, driven to 
apostasy by his torments, rushed out of the icy water 
into the warm bath close at hand, and expired, poor 
wretch, on the instant. The keeper immediately took 
the place of the apostate; and all persevering during 
that awful night, the next day were condemned to 
perish at the stake. 

" Christ, my God! I believe!" he said, 
" Let vie suffer in his stead!" 

Then the long cold hours passed; . . . 
But when morning mastered night, 

Forty martyrs of Sebaste 
Wore in heaven their crowns of light. 

Eleanor C. Donnelly. 



Favorite Practice. 

To ' ' hold fast that which thou hast, * that no man 
take thy crown." 

84 



GQai^gh 11. 

ST. EULOGIUS, Priest and Martyr. 

v <S^ T. EULOGIUS was born in Cordova in the 
* ^j ninth century, and belonged to one of the 
^^ first families of that city. As he directed an 
ecclesiastical school in his native place when the 
Moors (who governed Spain at the time) began a vio- 
lent persecution of the Christians, Eulogius was cast 
into prison with many others. During his captivity 
he composed an " Exhortation to Martyrdom," which 
was of great value, and sensibly strengthened the 
faith of the confessors. He was released from prison 
on account of his noble blood; but as he used his 
liberty only to continue his efforts in inciting the 
Christians to martyrdom, he was again arrested and 
beheaded in 859. 



And, as a bird each fond endearment tries 
To tempt her new-fledged offspring to the skies, 
He tried each art, reproved each dull delay, 
Allured to brighter worlds, and led the way. 

Oliver Goldsmith. 



Favorite Practice. 

To counsel the doubtful; and "let him teach, that 
can teach." 

85 



fflAI^GH 12. 



ST. GREGORY THE GREAT, Pope and Martyr. 

;HIS celebrated Pope and Doctor of the Church 
was born at Rome about the year 540. He 
early renounced the advantages of illustri- 
ous birth, and consecrated his great gifts to God in 
holy religion. He was forced, however, to quit his 
retirement at the command of Pope Pelagius II., 
by whom he was made cardinal and sent to the 
Eastern court on a difficult mission. St. Gregory was 
afterwards elected to succeed Pope Pelagius, but, 
filled with a sense of his un worthiness, he fled away, 
and had to be compelled to accept the dignity. He 
wrought, in his high office, a wonderful w T ork against 
numerous heresies and schisms. He brought about 
the conversion of England; and, besides composing 
many learned and pious works, he reformed the chant 
and liturgy of the Church. He was accustomed to 
style himself, in all humility, '* the Servant of the 
servants of God." His death occurred in 604. 



' Servant of servants"! That is the name 
Falleth the fittest when they call; 
Jesus, my Master, bore the same, 
Though He be Sovereign Lord of all. 

Mrs. Margaret J. Preston. 



Favorite Practice. 

To flee, instead of courting, honors, remembering 
that he who exalteth himself shall be humbled. 



GQAI^GH 13. 



ST. NICEPHORUS, Bishop. 

*\^2 T. NICEPHORUS was patriarch of Constanti- 
^^ nople in 806, and was zealously opposed to 
^-^ the sect known as the Iconoclasts. This 
zealous opposition drew upon him the angry perse- 
cution of the emperor Leo, the Armenian; and 
rinding that the holy patriarch remained firm in his 
reverence for the sacred images, Leo banished him 
to a monastery, where he spent the last fourteen years 
of his life, happy to suffer disgrace for the faith, and 
employing his time in composing several books in 
its defence. He died in 828. The Greeks celebrate 
the feast of St. Nicephorus on June 2d, but the Latin 
Church on the 13th of March. 



Better to live despised and poor 
Than guilt's eternal stings endure; 
The future smile of God shall cure 
The wound of earthly woes. 

From the Portuguese ofLuiS DE Cam0£NS. 



Favorite Practice. 

To endure persecution silently rather than counte- 
n a nee wrong- doing. 

87 



GQai^gh i£. 



ST. MATILDA, Widow. 

[ T. MATILDA was the queen of Germany and 
the wife of Henry surnamed "the Fowler." 
Her continual alms to the poor were most 
munificent. She frequently visited them in person, 
and tended the sick with her own royal hands. In 
her palace she watched over her retainers with 
maternal tenderness, instructing them and aiding 
them in their duties. Her bearing was characterized 
by a mingled majesty and mildness which charmed 
both the high and the lowly. On the death of her 
husband, her ungrateful sons robbed her of all her 
possessions. Her rights were restored to her in time, 
but she ultimately retired to a convent, where she 
died in 968. 



A perfect woman nobly planned, 
To warn, to comfort, to command; 
And yet a spirit, still and bright, 
With something of an angel-light. 

William Wordsworth. 



Favorite Practice. 

To instruct the ignorant. 



CQai^gh i£. 



ST. LONGINUS, Martyr. 

A CCORDIXG to an ancient tradition, St. 
«-7"y Longinus was the Roman centurion who 
^--^ cried out at the death of our Lord, "Verily, 
this was the Son of God !" And. on the authority of 
some writers, he is said to have been the one who 
pierced our Lord's divine Side with the lance. It is fur- 
ther related that Longinus. being of defective vision, 
was straightway healed of his infirmity by some drops 
of the Precious Blood and water which then fell 
upon his eyes. Thus converted, and beginning to 
announce the Gospel in Cappadocia, Longinus was 
followed to his abode by the soldiers of Pilate. He 
knew by inspiration that they had come to arrest him; 
but he entertained them most hospitably, -and. after 
serving them in person, made himself known to 
them. They beheaded him forthwith on the spot. 



A blind knight, men called Longias, 
With a speare approached unto my Soverain, 

Launsing His side full piteously, alas ! 
That His precious Heart he clave in twain. 

Geoffrey Chaucer. 



Favorite Practice. 

To i?nitate the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Its forgive- 
ness of injuries. 



CQAI^GH 16. 



ST. ABRAHAM, Hermit 

^HE anchorite Abraham had sold all his vast 
possessions and distributed the proceeds to 
^~' the poor, before he buried himself in a hermit- 
age near Edessa, in Mesopotamia. He was drawn 
out of his retreat to be consecrated bishop of a town 
in the vicinity, whose inhabitants were pagans. He 
converted these people, by the most laborious efforts, 
to the true faith, and was thrice on the eve of martyr- 
dom. Then, once more, he withdrew into solitude, 
and there remained until the sad news reached him 
that a beloved niece was leading an abandoned 
life. St. Abraham quitted his cell and went in 
quest of the lost lamb of the fold. After two years* 
pilgrimage, he discovered the unhappy object of his 
search, and succeeded in restoring her to the grace 
of God and to a life of austere penance. St. Abra- 
ham died peacefully in 370, or thereabouts. 



Hearts that are great are always lone, 
They never will manifest their best; 

Their greatest greatness is unknown: 
Earth knows a little — God, the rest. 

Father Ryan. 



Favorite Practice. 

To sacrifice our optional practices of devotion to the 
necessities of the souls of others. 
90 



fflAI^GH 17. 



ST. PATRICK, Apostle of Ireland. 

yfi^T, PATRICK was early trained in Christian 
^^^ virtue in the bosom of a wealthy family in 
^^ Britain. In his youth he was captured by 
pirates and sold into slavery in Ireland, where he 
suffered, by turns, hunger, cold, and ill-treatment. 
He endured all with heroic courage and gave himself 
up to the exercise of fervent prayer. Having re- 
gained his liberty, he hastened to a monastery in 
France, where he sedulously qualified himself for his 
future apostolate. When fully prepared he made his 
way to Rome, and besought the Holy Father to 
send him as missionary to Ireland. The Pope gladly 
consented, consecrated him bishop, and sent him 
forth with other evangelical laborers to the land of his 
bondage. For thirty years St. Patrick labored in his 
beloved mission, and, with incredible toil, zeal, and 
devotion, converted almost the whole of Ireland to 
the Christian faith. The great apostle expired joy- 
fully about the year 364. 



Greater than Israel have thy people been ; 
Greater than Moses, gracious Patrick, thou ; 
For greater sorrow have no people seen, 
And so resigned did no people bow 
Unto God's will. 

Maurice F. Egan. 



Favorite Practice. 

By prayer and frequenlation of the sacraments to in- 
crease within our souls the purity of faith. 
9 1 



CQAI^GH 18. 



ST. EDWARD, King and Martyr. 

v O T. EDWARD was a descendant of Alfred the 
t^2) Great, and the son of Edgar of England. He 
r^-7 was of a confiding and generous nature, and 
persevered in great innocence of life. In the year 978 
he was basely stabbed in the back at the instigation 
of his treacherous step-mother Elfrida, in the village 
of Corvesgate. His corpse was ignominiously hidden 
out of sight, and his enemies seemed for the nonce, 
to be triumphant: but a celestial light shone around 
the spot where the martyr was interred, and all who 
came to it ailing were healed of their infirmities. 
These marvels eventually led to the conversion of the 
wicked Elfrida. St. Edward's body was exhumed, 
and he was buried with great honor in the convent at 
Shaftesburv. 



For death the pure life saves, 
And life all pure is love ; and love can reach 
From heaven to earth, and nobler lessons teach 

Than those by mortals read. 

J. Boyle O'Reilly. 



Favorite Practice. 

To trust to the power of God to manifest the inno- 
cence of His children. 

92 



JDAI^GH 19. 



ST. JOSEPH, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 

.v^^T. JOSEPH, a lineal descendant of the house 
y^^ of David, was ordained by God to be the 
^^ spouse of the Immaculate Virgin Mary and 
the foster-father of our Lord Jesus Christ. The dig- 
nity of these two offices sufficiently indicates the sub- 
lime sanctity of the one who was chosen to fill them. 
The Scriptures tell us he was "a just man," which, 
in the Inspired Word, is the epitome of all holiness. 
After his espousals to Mary in the Temple, he took 
her to Nazareth, where he supported her and (in time) 
the Divine Infant by his labor as a carpenter. On the 
return of the Holy Family from Egypt, St. Joseph 
continued to live with the Blessed Mother and her 
Divine Son at Nazareth, until his happy death in 
their sweet company, which took place some time 
before our Lord began His public mission. In 
our own day Pope Pius IX. has declared St. Joseph 
Patron of the Universal Church. 



Well has the Christian artist painted thee, 
St. Joseph, in thy twofold dignity; 
Thy right arm bears aloft the Infant God, 
Thy left is resting on the wondrous rod 
Which blossomed into lilies — type of One 
Whose virgin womb gave birth to Virgin Son! 

Father Bridgett, C.SS.R. 



Favorite Practice. 

To implore daily through the powerful intercession of 
St. Joseph the grace of a holy and happy death. 
93 



(Qai^gh 20. 



ST D CUTHBERT, Bishop and Confessor. 

y(2? T. CUTHBERT was a little peasant, who, in 
y^J the seventh century, kept sheep in the val- 
£^-^ ley of the Tweed, near Melrose. The mon- 
astery of Melrose was then presided over by the 
holy St. Aidan; and directed, it is said, by angels, 
the young Cuthbert sought out the abbot, and was 
carefully instructed by him in the holy Scriptures. On 
the death of Aidan, the shepherd boy became one of 
the monks of Melrose. He developed great powers 
of oratory, and converted innumerable souls in that 
region. Seeking a more solitary retreat after his 
arduous apostolate at Melrose, St. Cuthbert removed 
to Landisfarne. He lived the life of a hermit on an 
island on the coast of Northumberland, and later was 
created bishop of Landisfarne. In that see he ex- 
hibited such gracious examples of virtue that he was 
venerated and loved by all; and dying the death of a 
saint, his shrine at Durham became a place of pilgrim- 
age in the north of England. 



Thy grave shall be a blessed shrine, 
Adorned with Nature's brightest wreath 
Each glowing season shall combine 

Its incense there to breathe; 
And oft upon the midnight air 
Shall viewless harps be murmuring there. 

Mrs. Hemans. 

♦ 

Favorite Practice. 

To spread devotion to the shrines of the saints. 



fflAF^GH 21. 



ST. BENEDICT, Abbot. 

, BOUT the year 480 the great St. Benedict 
was born of a noble race in the little town 
of Norcia in the duchy of Spoleto. In his 
boyhood he studied literature and science at Rome; 
but seeing the corruptions of the age, and espe- 
cially of his fellow-students, he fled away to a cave 
among the rocks of Subiaco, where he devoted him- 
self to prayer and severe penance. Here (being 
joined by numerous disciples) he was instrumental in 
founding twelve monasteries. The zealous saint, 
journeyed later to Monte Cassino, converted the 
idolaters there, and, high upon the mountain, laid 
the foundation of his famous religious community, 
the Order of St. Benedict. His sister, St. Scholastica, 
was the first Benedictine nun. After exerting a. 
humanizing influence over Totila, king of the Goths, 
St. Benedict died happily at Monte Cassino on 
March 21, 543. 



More than thirteen centuries ago, 

Benedict, fleeing from the gates of Rome, 
A youth disgusted with its vice and woe, 

Sought in these mountain solitudes a home. 
He founded here his Convent and his Rule 

Of prayer and work, and counted work as prayer; 
The pen became a clarion, and his school 

Flamed like a beacon in the midnight air. 

Henry W. Longfellow. 



Favorite Practice. 

To so purify the intention that our daily labor may? 
become a perpetual prayer. 

95 



fflAI^GH 22. 



ST. CATHERINE OF SWEDEN, Virgin. 

^T. CATHERINE was the daughter of the fa- 
mous St. Bridget of Sweden, the princess 
whose virtues so brightly illumined the four- 
teenth century and shed a glory over the royal house 
to which she belonged. Such a mother could not 
fail in her maternal duties, and Catherine was early 
trained to piety by her saintly parent. Obliged to 
marry in obedience to her father's commands, Cath- 
erine was so happy as to inspire her husband with 
her own love of continence; and after her nuptials 
she went to join her mother in Rome, to visit the 
tombs of the Apostles. Here her piety and virtue 
were destined to endure many trials and temptations; 
and the noble young woman, but for St. Bridget's 
prayers and vigorous efforts, would doubtless have 
been hopelessly led astray by the spirit of the world. 
Having passed through this fiery ordeal, however, 
triumphantly, St. Catherine accompanied her mother 
to the Holy Land and remained there, emulating St. 
Bridget's heroic example until her death in 1382. 



But wait when the trial is o'er, 

And take thy heart again ; 
For as gold is tried by fire, 

So a heart must be tried by pain ! 

Adelaide A. Procter. 



Favorite Practice. 

To cultivate with prayer a continual self-distrust. 

96 



(QAI^GH 23. 



ST. BENEDICT, the Solitary. 

. ^? UPPORTING himself by the labor of his 
y^^ hands, and giving himself continually to 
^"^ prayer, a pious solitary named Benedict lived 
in the sixth century in a hermitage in the Campagna, 
about twelve leagues from Rome. An emissary of 
Totila, chief of the Goths, having discovered the her- 
mit about the year 543, urged him to apostatize and 
become an Arian. Benedict rejected the proposal 
with horror. The Goths, being then masters of Italy, 
in revenge set fire to the poor little hut of the saint. 
The flames raged around the spot, but the hermitage 
remained unhurt. Then the heretics, exasperated, 
seized the holy hermit and cast him into a glowing 
furnace. The next day when they opened the door 
of the furnace, to their utter surprise they beheld St. 
Benedict within, perfectly safe and sound. 



For this amid his daily toil 
He poured his warmest aspirations, 

And kept his heart from sinful soil 
With force of holy meditations. 

Gerald Griffin. 



Favorite Practice. 

To daily beseech of God that faith which, as St. 
Paul says, " conquereth kingdoms, quencheth the vio- 
lence of fire." 

97 



(QAI^GH 2$. 



ST. GABRIEL, Archangel, 

NE of the Seven Spirits who stand before 
the throne of God, St. Gabriel is especially 
•>c-4^ dear to us as the Angel of the Incarnation. 
In the Old Testament he was sent to Daniel to an- 
nounce the return of the Jews from captivity. In 
the Hebrew tradition Gabriel was the guardian of the 
Celestial treasury. He is said to have foretold the 
birth of Samson, and also to have announced to Joa- 
chim the birth of the Immaculate Virgin Mary. But 
the New Testament plainly declares that Gabriel was 
sent to the high-priest Zacharias to make known to 
him the approaching birth of St. John the Baptist; 
and six months later (on the authority of the same 
Inspired Word) "the Angel of the Lord declared 
unto Mary, and she conceived of the Holy Ghost." 
Gabriel is supposed by some to have been the guar- 
dian angel of the Mother of God. 



Spirit of might ! O Gabriel, display 
Thy matchless power against our ancient foes; 

Visit those sacred temples where we pray; 
'Twas at thy potent word those temples rose; 

Thou wert the herald of His future birth 

Whose worship raised these shrines throughout the earth. 

Anon. 



Favorite Practice. 

To frequently repeat 7uith St. Gabriel, " Ave Maria, 
gratia plena /" 



fflAI^GH 2S. 



THE ANNUNCIATION OF THE BLESSED 
VIRGIN MARY. 

ND the angel being come in, said to her, 
Hail full of grace, the Lord is with thee : 
blessed art thou among women. And 
when she had heard, she was troubled at his say- 
ing And the angel said to her, Fear not, 

Mary: for thou hast found grace with God. Be- 
hold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt 
bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name 
Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the 
Son of the Most High; and the Lord God shall 
give unto him the throne of David his father: and 
he shall reign in the house of Jacob forever; and 
of his kingdom there shall be no end. And Mary 
said to the angel, How shall this be done, because 
I know not man ? And the angel, answering, said to 
her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and 
the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee: 
And therefore, also, the Holy which shall be born of 
thee shall be called the Son of God." — St. Luke 
i. 26-36 



As high turrets for their airy steep 

Require foundations in proportion deep, 

And lofty cedars as far upward shoot 

As to the nether heavens they drive their root; 

So low did her secure foundations lie; 

She was not humble, but Humility. 

John Dryden. 
♦■ — 

Favorite Practice. 

A reverential recitation of the " Angelns" morning, 
noon, and night. 

99 



0)AI^GH 26. 



ST. IRSIN>£US, Bishop and Martyr. 

) T that period when the edict of the emperor 
Diocletian was working terrible havoc 
among the persecuted Christians, St. Ire- 
naeus was bishop of Sirmich, in Pannonia. Appre- 
hended for the faith, he was brought before Probus, 
governor of the province, and was alternately threat- 
ened and cajoled in order to induce him to sacrifice 
to the idols. Refusing to apostatize, he was first 
scourged and then sentenced to be beheaded, and his 
body to be cast into the river. The prayer of the 
martyr before his execution was: " I thank Thee, my 
God, for having deigned to let me suffer death for the 
glory of Thy name, and for the safe-guarding of the 
Christian people of Sirmich. Vouchsafe to receive 
me in Thy mercy, and by my example fortify Thy 
people in the faith." 



Except a kernel of wheat 

Fall into the earth and die, 
It abideth ever alone. 

But this one fell and died: 
And many from one seed sown 

Were raised and glorified. 

Edward Hyde. 



Favorite Practice. 

To be impressed with the necessity of setting a good 
example to those around us. 



(QAI^GH 87. 



ST. JOHN, the Hermit. 

fHIS pious solitary led a long life of prayer and 
austerity in the recesses of a mountain in the 
Thebaid near the town of Lycopolis. Only 
twice in the week would he receive the food brought 
to him by the faithful; and in return for that alms he 
conversed awhile with his visitors, and instructed 
them in the way of salvation. He was favored 
with the gift of miracles and of prophecy, and an- 
nounced to Theodosius his victories over the ene- 
mies of the Church. He died towards the year 395, 
having lived to the venerable age of ninety. The 
signal graces bestowed upon St. John are attributed 
to his heroic practice of holy obedience which he 
manifested in his long submission to another her- 
mit, chosen as his master at the outset of his ere- 
mitical career. 



Great may he be who can command 
And rule with just and tender sway; 

Yet is diviner wisdom taught 
Better by him who can obey. 

Adelaide A. Procter 



Favorite Practice. 

A szueet obedience to superiors both spiritual and tem- 
poral. 



fflAI^GH 28. 



ST. GUNTRAN, King and Confessor. 

i T. GUNTRAN, after the death of Clothaire I., 
the son of Clovis, became heir to the crowns 
of Burgundy and Orleans. Exposed to the 
animosity of his brothers, Caribert and Sigebert, and 

to the malice of his sisters-in-law. Fredegunda and 
Brunehaut (who even attempted to assassinate him), 
the good king Guntran knew only how to return 
good for evil. As a Christian ruler and father, his 
reign was marked with an indefatigable zeal, and a 
tender mercy. He was sweetly accessible to the poor 
and unfortunate, and endured all calamities with a 
singular patience and strength of soul. In time of 
famine the holy king gave away all he possessed, 
his gold and silver, his jewels and costly furniture, 
and even his royal raiment, in order to procure food 
for his people. St. Guntran died in 593. 



My conscience is my crown, 

Contented thoughis my rest; 
My heart is happy in itself, 

My bliss is in my breast. 

Father Southwell, S.J. 



Favorite Practice. 

To sacrifice some necessaries, even, to give to the 
suffering poor. 



GQa^GH 29. 



SS. JONAS and BARACHISUS, Martyrs. 

TIT N the eighth year of his reign, and about the 
year 327, Sapor, king of Persia, decreed a vio- 

^~* lent persecution against the Christians. At 
Hubaham a number of the persecuted brethren were 
cast into prison; and two brothers, named Jonas and 
Barachisus (who were Christians of the town of 
Bethasa), anxious to succor and console the confess- 
ors of Christ, exposed themselves to certain death by 
hastening to Hubaham and visiting the prisoners. 
After nine of the confessors were martyred, the 
heroic brothers were, in their turn, denounced, and 
tortured to death; Jonas being crushed in two in a 
pressing-machine, and Barachisus stifled under a mask 
of boiling pitch which was poured upon his face. 



They shine like Moses in the face, 
And teach our hearts without the rod, 

That God's grace is the only grace, 
And all grace is the grace of God. 

Coventry Patmore. 



Favorite Practice. 

To manifest sincere love for thy neighbor, not in 
cord, but in deed. 

103 



fflAI^GH 30. 



ST. JOHN CLIMACHUS, Abbot. 

Y\S^ T. JOHN obtained the surname of Climachus 
v^^ from the spiritual work which he composed 
^^ for the monks of Mount Sinai, and which was 
entitled " The Mystic Ladder." In it he taught the 
art of raising one's self to God by thirty successive 
degrees, the name Climachus signifying steps or de- 
grees. John was, indeed, well fitted to discourse of the 
progress of the interior life, as he had devoted himself 
to the cultivation of it from his sixteenth year. An 
anchorite from that early age, he was chosen supe- 
rior-general of the monks of Mount Sinai; but after 
holding that office only three years, he resigned it 
in order to enter again his beloved solitude and give 
himself more freely to prayer and contemplation. 
It was in this retirement that, yielding to the request 
of the religious who were averse to losing the 
benefit of his pious direction, he wrote the "Mystic 
Ladder." He died in solitude in 606, being more 
than eighty years of age. 



But let me often to these solitudes 

Retire, and in Thy presence reassure 

My feeble virtue. Here its enemies, 

The passions, at Thy plainer footsteps shrink, 

And tremble, and are still. 

William Cullen Bryant. 



Favorite Practice. 

If circumstances permit, to make a spiritual retreat 
annually. 

104 



CQAI^GH 31. 

ST. BALBINA, Virgin. 

T. BALBINA was the daughter of a Roman 
knight named Quirinus, in the second century 
of the Christian era. The holy Pope St. Alex- 
ander being in prison, Quirinus, although a pagan, 
went to visit the suffering Pontiff, and confided to 
him his anxiety about his young daughter, Balbina, 
who was of a marriageable age, but was disfigured 
by a hideous scrofula on her neck. The Pope replied 
that if the chains he then wore were placed upon 
Balbina's throat she would be cured of her malady. 
The maiden being brought and touched with the 
Pontiff's chains, was, indeed, immediately healed. 
As a consequence of the miracle. Quirinus, with his 
daughter and family, received baptism, and adhered 
so zealously to the faith that the former was mar- 
tyred under the emperor Aurelian. St. Balbina 
continued to carry on her father's works of mercy, 
until she herself was denounced. But although 
brought before the emperor, her life was spared, and 
she returned, a martyr in desire, to devote her days 
thenceforward to visiting the sick and feeding the 
poor. This occurred about the year 167. 



. . . Onward thou shalt go, 
Bearing thy own and cheering- others' woe; 
Treading the path where guiding- angels lead, 
And scattering on thy way the priceless seed 
Which, sown in tears, is harvested in joy. 

Lady Fullerton. 



Favorite Practice. 

Filial devotedness, whose reward is a long and peace- 
ful life. 



April. 



A7J.:i :::■:*: ~kz :..:::: A':. "'■:■: 

S ~- . '. z: ■ ' : : ':: ■:: — 

: 

z : i 



flP^IL 1. 



ST. HUGH, Bishop and Confessor, 

, vV^ T. HUGH was chosen by the Council of Avig- 
y^^ non as bishop of Grenoble, after having given 
^"^ great edification by his mortified, retired, and 
prayerful life as canon of Valence. He was obliged 
to accept the episcopal charge against his inclina- 
tions, and after discharging his sacred duties for the 
space of a few years, he withdrew from his office 
and entered a religious house at Chaise Dieu. The 
Pope, Gregory VII., however, commanded him to 
sacrifice his own wishes to the call of duty, and St. 
Hugh w T as forced to resume the mitre. He died hap- 
pily in 1 132, having been favored with the gift of 
miracles both before and after his death. 



. . . Shut in my crypt by night, by day. 
Breathing- His peace with every breath, 

I was content to wear away, 
Tasting a calm as sweet as death; 

Yet they have bidden me forth to bear 

Mitre and stole and sacred staff. 

Mrs. Margaret J. Preston. 



Favorite Practice. 

To sacrifice our own lights to the judgment and will 
of our superiors. 

109 



flP^IL % 



ST. FRANCIS OF PAULA, Confessor. 

T^\ ORN in Calabria, in or about the year 1416, 
I^O St. Francis of Paula was the founder of the 
Order of "Minims," so called because they 
were taught to regard themselves as the lowest 
and least of all men. St. Francis presented to his 
brethren a singular example of austerity. His diet 
was herbs, eaten but once a day, and that after 
sunset. He slept on the bare earth, with a stone 
for a pillow; wore a hair-shirt; and desired his dis- 
ciples to go barefoot, and observe a severe and con- 
tinual Lent. He also enjoined on them to wear 
coarse garments and abstain from the use of all gold 
and silver vessels. Sent for from France to w^ait 
upon the king, Louis XL in his last illness, St. 
Francis was instrumental in preparing that mon- 
arch to die a holy death. When he himself had 
completed his seventieth year, he passed to his re- 
ward at Plessis-les-Tours in 1488. 



... As in summer woods, infrequent, towers 

A giant oak or poplar overhead, 
While all the ground with grass and moss and flowers, 

And other tiny tender, things is spread; 

And as with waving arms the great tree crieth. 

•• My height, my strength, my glory, Lord, are Thine!'* 
Softly the little slender herb replieth, 

" My fairy blossoms, Lord, are also Thine !"' 

From ^'"Legend of the Best-Beloved." 



Favorite Practice. 

To love to be unknown and accounted as nothing. 
no 



SS. AGAPA and CHIONIA, Martyrs. 

tN the year 304, when Diocletian was violently 
persecuting the Church of Christ, his special 
aim was to discover and destroy not only the 
Christian bishops and priests, but the sacred books 
which they sought to preserve from the fury of the 
pagans. Agapa and Chionia, two devout sisters, 
having been entrusted with the care of some of these 
holy books, fled away with them into the mountains 
of Thessalonica, where they wandered about, guard- 
ing the precious deposit, for a whole year. < Appre- 
hended at last, and the books discovered in their pos- 
session, they were condemned to be burnt at the stake ; 
but the flames merely stifled them without inflicting 
other injury on their holy persons. 



. . . Books are yours, 
Within whose silent chambers treasure lies, 
Preserved from age to age, more precious far 
Than the accumulated store of gold 
And orient gems. 

William Wordsworth. 



Favorite Practice. 

To preserve a deep reverence for the Holy Scriptures. 



flP^IL & 



ST. ISIDORE, Bishop and Confessor. 

yC^ T. ISIDORE, in the seventh century of the 
y^) Christian era, was coadjutor-bishop to his 
^^ brother, St. Leander, at that epoch arch- 
bishop of Seville. Isidore possessed a remarkable 
intellect which had been highly cultivated, and he ren- 
dered efficient aid to his holy brother in the great work 
of converting the Visigoths from the errors of Arian- 
ism. When he succeeded St. Leander in the archi- 
episcopal charge, he completed the great work both 
had begun, and presided with marked distinction at 
the Councils of Seville and Toledo. He was the 
author of several learned and instructive treatises, 
and he also reformed the liturgical books, so that 
fourteen years after his death the Council of Toledo 
decreed him the title of ''The Excellent Doctor/' 
In his last moments St. Isidore desired to be carried 
to the church. There he received the sacraments 
most fervently, and shortly after expired, in 636, 
having beforehand distributed all he possessed to 
the poor. 



Now through the land his care of souls he stretched, 

And like a primitive apostle preached; 

Still cheerful, ever constant to his call, 

By many followed, loved by most, admired by all. 

John Dryden. 

Favorite Practice. 

A care f til exercise of the talents God has given yon to 
be used in His service. 



^PI^IL i. 



ST. VINCENT FERRER, Confessor. 

■y^DT. VINCENT FERRER was born at Valence 
v^^ in 1357, and became a Dominican monk at 
r^- the age of seventeen years. His superiors, 
discerning his capability, entrusted him in time 
with the great work of the missions, in which his 
labors were crowned with marvellous success. In 
Spain alone the holy missionary converted more 
than twenty-five thousand Jews and eighteen thou- 
sand Moors. He travelled over France, Italy, Ger- 
many, England, and the Low Countries as apostolic 
missionary, everywhere achieving glorious results in 
the salvation of souls. He always styled himself 
"the unworthy instrument of God," and kept himself 
in a continual spirit of recollection, self-abasement, 
and detachment from all things. He died at Vannes 
in 1419. 



Proud unbelievers heard his voice ; 

For e'en the Moorish king- 
Within his fair Granada sought 

Christ's messenger to bring. 
And soon the haughty Moslem saw 

His Crescent's lurid glare 
Grow dim when holy Vincent showed 

The Cross of Jesus there. 

Harriet Skidmore. 



Favorite Practice. 

To work for God in aprofound sph'it of humility. 
"3 



flP^IL Q. 



ST. CELESTINE I., Pope and Confessor. 

N succeeding Pope Boniface I., in the year 
422, Pope Celestine found heresy, schisms, 
"^-4^ and scandals making terrible havoc through- 
out Christendom. At the instance of St. Augustine 
he reformed abuses in the African Church; and later, 
in that of Gaul. The errors of Nestorius were be- 
ginning to poison the East, and St. Celestine zeal- 
ously convoked the Council of Rome and, later, that 
of Ephesus, which deposed and condemned the here- 
siarch. " My vigilance," the saintly pontiff wrote 
to the bishop of Gaul, "is not limited by space; it 
extends into every spot;" and true to his words, 
St. Celestine sent apostolic missionaries to carry the 
Gospel into all those countries where it had not yet 
been preached. He died in 432. 



But come and see the bleak and barren mountains 
Thick to their tops with roses ; come and see 
Leaves on the dry. dead tree. 
From the Spanish of Lltercio Leonardo Argensola. 



Favorite Practice. 

To frequently reflect o?i these words: " Blessed are 
the servants whom the Lord at His corning shall find 
-watching." 

114 



<» 



ST. APHRAATES, Hermit, 

I^NURING the reign of the emperor Valens, 
1^- J towards the year 375, a pious solitary 
^-^^ named Aphraates lived in a hermitage at 
some distance from Edessa, in Mesopotamia. He 
divided his time between prayer and manual labor, 
and was a zealous opponent of the Arians who in- 
fested the town of Edessa. He boldly preached the 
Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ, and upheld by 
miracles the truth of His doctrines. He effected 
cures upon the infirm, which made him very popular; 
but his delicate modesty was such that he sedulously 
averted his gaze from persons of the opposite sex. so 
that (it was said) he never actually beheld a woman. 
The exact date of his death is not known. 



Virgins who walk a spotless band, 
And hermits from the desert-land, 
Who dwell above the stars, prepare 
Celestial seats with us to share. 

Placare Christi Servulis. 



Favorite Practice. 

To avoid the occasion of sin, keeping a special guard 
over the eyes. 



flPI^IIi 8. 



ST. EDESIUS, Martyr. 

^T. EDESIUS was the brother of St. Appian, 
the martyr of Cesarea, and had been forced 
to embrace Christianity by the emptiness and 
barrenness of pagan philosophy, to which he had 
originally been devoted. His vigorous defence of 
the faith subjected him several times to exile and 
hard labor in the mines; but towards the year 237 
Edesius made his way to Egypt, where the persecu- 
tion of Maximinus was then in progress. The out- 
rageous insults and cruelty lavished upon his perse- 
secuted brethren in that region so filled Edesius with 
righteous indignation that he sought out the prefect 
Hierocles and boldly explained the purpose of his 
visit. Hierocles condemned him to be scourged and 
tortured in many ways, and finally ordered the body 
of the martvr to be hurled into the sea. 



. . . Then, 
How low on earth 
God's glory fell 
On every side : 
Chased from the land, 
His servants fled,— 
Their wisdom scorned ; 
Much grief to him 
Whose bosom glowed 
With fervent love 
Of great Creation's Lord ! 



C^edmon. 



Favorite Practice. 

A cahn but persistent warfare against human ?rspect. 
116 



pPI^IL 9. 



ST. ACACIUS, Bishop. 

fHIS holy man was bishop of Amida, in Meso- 
potamia, during the reign of the emperor 
Theodosius the Younger. At that time in 
the town of Amida were seven thousand Persian 
prisoners who had been captured in battle by the 
Romans, and were perishing with hunger and mis- 
ery. St. Acacius, touched with compassion for 
these poor creatures (although they were pagans 
and the Christian religion was then persecuted in 
Persia), conceived the holy design of ransoming 
them and sending them back to their own country. 
He impoverished himself in order to effect this 
noble end, and even disposed of the sacred ves- 
sels and costly ornaments of the churches for that 
purpose. The ransomed slaves returning from ex- 
ile, published far and wide the unequalled gener- 
osity of Bishop Acacius. The Persian king was so 
touched at this that he asked and obtained leave 
to see Acacius; and thenceforth he directed that all 
persecutions should cease in his kingdom. The 
Church of Christ accordingly took root there and 
flourished wonderfully. 

For not to hoard the golden spoil 

Of earthly mines, we bow the knee — 

Our labor is the saintly toil 
Whose hire is Eternity. 

Gerald Griffjn. 



Favorite Practice. 

To strive to do good to those who persecute you. 



flPI^IIi 10. 



ST. MACARIUS, Bishop and Confessor. 

v^^ T. MACARIUS was the nephew of Macarius 
y^A) the Elder, who was archbishop of Antioch. 
^^ His holy uncle trained him in the practice of 
piety; and at the death of that pious man, St. Ma- 
carius (at his suggestion) was reluctantly obliged to 
accept the patriarchal chair. He believed hinself ut- 
terly unworthy of that great dignity, and his future 
life was animated with a profound spirit of humility 
and the gift of fervent prayer. On one occasion he 
suffered grievous ill-treatment at the hands of unbe- 
lievers; but was freed from their cruel devices by 
the agency of an angel. He wrought many remark- 
able miracles; and at Ghent, in the year 1012, he 
caused the cessation of a plague, prophesying at the 
same time that he himself would be the last victim 
to die of it: which prediction was fulfilled. He died 
in iot2. 



By force I live, in will I wish to die. 
In plaint I pass the length of lingering days; 

Free would my soul from mortal body fly, 
And tread the track of death's desired ways; 

Life is but lost, where death is deemed gain, 

And loathed pleasures breed displeasing pain. 

Rev. Robert Southwell, S.J. 



Favorite Practice. 

To convince yourself that nothing so mtich adorns an 
exalted position as a modest and humble acceptance of 
its honors. 

118 



fiPI^IL 11. 



ST. LEO THE GREAT, Pope and Doctor. 

v ^^ T. LEO, justly called the Great, ascended the 
y^^ papal throne in 440. Scarcely was he elected, 
^^ when Attila, the triumphant destroyer of the 
town of Aguileia, marched forward to attack Rome. 
St. Leo. at the head of a Roman deputation, went 
forth to meet him. When Attila saw the pontiff, he 
recoiled as if in fear; and being afterwards questioned 
on the subject, he told his soldiers that he had be- 
held at St. Leo's side a majestic and venerable person- 
age who threatened Attila with a sword, and pre- 
vented him from passing forward. It was believed 
to be the apostle St. Peter, who thus protected his 
See from insult. St. Leo, indeed, cherished a special 
devotion to St. Peter; and when Genseric, later, in- 
tended to destroy Rome by flames, St. Leo watched 
and prayed for forty nights at the tomb of St. Peter; 
and the city was spared. The saintly Pope died in 
461, after having vigorously opposed heresy and ac- 
complished many great works for the glory of God. 



Lives of great men all remind us 

We can make our lives sublime, 
And, departing", leave behind us 

Footprints on the sands of Time. 

Henry W. Longfellow. 



Favorite Practice. 

A great confidence in the protection and assistance of 
the Saints. 



flP^IL 12. 



ST. SABAS, Martyr. 

^ T. SABAS was a Christian Goth, at a time 
when the greater part of his fellow-country- 
men were pagans. A prince of his nation, 
named Athanaric, having suffered defeat at the arms 
of the Romans, revenged himself in turn upon his 
Christian subjects. Sabas was counselled to sacri- 
fice to the false gods; but he preferred death to apos- 
tasy. After long and agonizing tortures, during 
which he remained heroically inflexible, the blessed 
martyr was heard to cry out, "It is enough, com- 
plete your cruel butchery!" This so exasperated the 
pagans that they hurled him headlong into a river, 
whence he was drawn out dead. This occurred about 
the year 372. 



God hath marked each sorrowing- day, 

And numbered every secret tear, 
And heaven's long ag^e of bliss shall pay 

For all His children suffer here. 

William Cullen Bryant. 



Favorite Practice. 

An heroic fidelity to sacred convictions. 



flP^IL 13. 



ST HERMINGILD, Martyr. 

^?T. HERMINGILD was the son of Leuvigild, 
y^^ king of the Visigoths. Having wedded a 
*"^ Christian princess, Indegunda, daughter of 
King Sigebert of France, his good wife was instru- 
mental in converting Hermingild to the true faith. 
When the king of the Visigoths, however, learned 
of that conversion, he gave way to such fierce 
rage and to such terrible threats that Hermingild 
and his devoted friends took to flight to escape Leu- 
vigild's vengeance. They were pursued by the war- 
riors of the latter, and the Christian prince was cap- 
tured and cast into a dungeon. There he was very 
cruelly treated; and when Easter-Day came, Leuvi- 
1 gild sent an Arian bishop to administer communion 
to the noble prisoner. Though loaded with chains, 
Hermingild refused with horror to receive the heret- 
ical rite; and the rage of Leuvigild being thus 
freshly excited, the unnatural father sent an execu- 
tioner to the prison, who split the martyr's skull 
in twain with one stroke of the axe. The date of 
Hermingild's martyrdom was a.d. 586. 



We see the shining of the martyr's crown, 
His love's red glow, his faith unbroken, clear; 
The heavenly peace that crowned his day's last strife, 
While love-wrought legends veil his inner life. 

Anon. 



Favorite Practice. 

Acts of reparation to the Blessed Sacrament of the 
altar. 



flP^IL 15. 



SS. TIBURTIUS, VALERIAN, and MAX1MUS, 
Martyrs. 

* TS. TIBURTIUS AND VALERIAN were two 
wealthy young noblemen of Rome in the 
reign of Alexander Severus. They were 
both pagans, but lived virtuously according to the 
law of nature. Valerian, who was a senator of 
Rome, was espoused to the illustrious St. Cecilia. 
When the marriage-ceremony was performed, how- 
ever, he learned, for the first time, that his Christian 
bride was secretly bound by a vow of chastity. The 
young senator, possessed a noble nature. He per- 
mitted his wife to discourse so sweetly and wisely of 
heavenly things, that he and his brother Tiburtius 
were converted and baptized, and became the chaste* 
auxiliaries of St. Cecilia in all works of piety and 
mercy. The prefect. Almachius, hearing of the won- 
derful life led by this Christian family, sent for Ce- 
cilia and her husband, and commanded them to re- 
nounce their practices of holy charity. As they 
remained firm, Valerian and Tiburtius were cast 
into prison and committed to the charge of a pagan 
centurion named Maximus, whom they converted to 
the faith. All three, having refused to sacrifice to 
Jupiter, thus gloriously won the crown of martyrdom. 



Palms in their hands, crowns on their brows, 

Won from the tears of Time, 
They shall go with us through the gates, 

Transfigured and sublime ! 

From " Domus Dei. y ' 



Favorite Practice. 

To exert a sweet influence over others hi the practice 
of piety. 



flPI^lIj IS. 



ST. PATERNUS, Bishop B 

JIT N the district of Vannes, in the year 490, was 
][[ b©rn St. Paternus, who in his youth travelled 
,<0 ^ into Britain to announce the Gospel of Christ. 
He there became a monk, was superior of the mon- 
asteries of Wales, and founded many religious houses. 
By a mission into Ireland he established peace among 
the inhabitants there, and quieted the bloody feuds 
which prevailed. He then made a pilgrimage to Je- 
rusalem (with St. David of Wales), where the patri- 
arch, John III., consecrated Paternus bishop. Re- 
turning to his native place, the newly consecrated 
prelate was chosen bishop of Vannes; but finding 
that some dissension arose in consequence, among 
' the bishops of the province, St. Paternus meekly 
withdrew from his diocese, after some years of ser- 
vice. He retired to a solitary place in France, where 
he died a holy death about the year 557. 



Though it break your heart in twain, 
Though the burden crush you down, 

Close your lips and hide your pain: 
First the cross, and then the crown. 

Father Ryan. 



Favorite Practice. 

Frequent reflection upon the beatitude: "Blessed are 
the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of 
God." 

123 



flP^IL 16. 

ST. ENCRATIDA, Virgin and Martyr. 

fN the fourth century (or the latter part of the 
third) a native of Portugal endeavored to force 
his daughter Encratida, a Christian virgin, into 
a marriage dangerous to her faith. As she earnestly 
desired to belong to God alone, the maiden fled away 
to Saragossa and hid herself there. But a violent 
persecution against the Christians broke out in that 
city in 304. Because of her great sympathy for the 
confessors and martyrs, Encratida was suspected and 
denounced to the prefect Dacian. He summoned her 
before him, when she openly declared her faith and 
reproached the tyrant for his cruelty. Thereupon she 
was bound to a wheel and her tender flesh flayed from 
her bones. After this terrible torture, remaining 
constant to Christ, she was thrown into a dungeon, 
where, soon after, she joyfully expired. 



Yes ! love has wrought, and love alone, 

The victories all, — beneath, above; 
And earth and heaven shall shout as one, 

The all-triumphant song of love ! 
From the Portuguese of Sister Violante Do Ceo. 



Favorite Practice. 

To sacrifice everything rather than peril faith or 
purity. 

T2 4 



flPI^IL 17. 



ST. STEPHEN, Abbot. 

T. STEPHEN was the third abbot of Citeaux. 
He was animated with a remarkable spirit ot 
evangelical poverty and an implicit trust in 
the assistance and resources of Divine Providence. 
It was his delight to gather around him the shep- 
herds of the neighboring parts, and, after instructing 
them in the truths of salvation, he often distributed 
to them in alms all that the monastery contained. 
"What stores are needful," he used to say, "to 
those to whom a roof of thatch, a garment of coarse 
stuff, and a little bread, and water from the brook, 
are sufficient." This generosity to the poor met 
with its unfailing reward; for the providence of 
God, on which he so confidingly relied, always came 
to his aid in any necessity. The holy abbot died 
in I 134. 



. . . Sweet are all things when we learn to prize them, 
Not for their sake, but His who grants them or denies them. 

Aubrey De Vere 



Favorite Practice. 

A childlike trust in the providence of God. 
125 



pP^IL 18. 

ST. APOLLONIUS, Martyr. 

iTT N the reign of the emperor Commodus, Apollo- 
jjf nius, a learned and eloquent senator of Rome, 
^^ was converted to the faith of Christ by a pro- 
found study of the Holy Scriptures and by frequent 
intercourse with the Pope, St Eleutherius. Devot- 
ing himself to deeds of charity, Apollonius was de- 
nounced to the Senate by one of his own slaves. 
When summoned before that body, the Christian pa- 
trician made a most noble and impassioned defence 
of Christianity, which produced such a powerful im- 
pression on his auditors that they were almost per- 
suaded to renounce the false gods. The prefect 
Perennis, fearing the results of that marvellous elo- 
quence, hastened to pass sentence against Apollonius. 
To the indignation even of the pagans, the noble con- 
fessor was condemned to public torture and then put 
to death. 



His words were frank and open; 
He spoke truth, fearing no man. 
Like a lion he sat among princes, 
Like a lamb he walked among the needy. 

From the ancient Rhyme of St. Anno^ 



Favorite Practice. 

To bear generous testimony to the faith of Christ iit 
deed and word. 

126 



(t^j 



pP^IL 19. 



ST. LEO IX., Pope. 



I RUNO, bishop of Toul, belonged to the il- 
Rfp) lustrious family of the Counts of Apsburg, 
<¥7lf and he was elected Pope at the Diet of 
Worms in 1049, taking the name of Leo IX. He 
was noted for his virtue and wisdom, and possessed 
great patience, courage, and strength of soul; but 
his humility was so deep that he deemed himself un- 
worthy' to ascend the papal throne. He entered his 
protest to that effect before the Assembly; but when 
they refused to grant him a release, he appealed to 
the people of Rome, barefoot, and in the garb of a 
pilgrim. The general voice declared for his election, 
and he was forced to accept the great responsibility. 
Never could choice have been more fortunate. The 
pontiff tenderly loved the poor, and made himself 
one of them. After a useful pontificate of five years, 
St. Leo slept in the Lord in the year 1054. 



His name a great example stands to show 
How strangely high endeavors may be blest 
Where piety and valor jointly go. 

John Dryden. 



Favorite Practice. 

If honors are forced upon us, to accept them with 
purity of intention. 



flP^IL 20. 



ST. THEOTIMUS, Bishop. 

^jT5)ISHOP OF THOMIS, in Scythia, St. Theoti- 
1 1^0 mus was characterized by a singular pru- 
<^y~f dence, and by that heavenly zeal which is al- 
ways regulated by a great mildness. He gave large 
alms to the poor, and he possessed the gift of mira- 
cles. At the Council of Chalcedon, which St. Epiph- 
anius convoked in order to condemn, without excep- 
tion, the writings of Origen, it was St. Theotimus 
who suggested that, instead of condemning absolute- 
ly the works of that learned man, the Fathers should 
except whatever was good or free from error in 
those writings. The Council ended by advocating 
these temperate views. This was in the year 401. 



Faith to Thy pure truth resigned, 
Prompt to serve a willing mind; 
Prudent heart and active hand, 
Craft of Satan to withstand; 
Evil ever to eschew, 
And Thy will, O God, to do. 

Frcm the famous Weissenbrunn Hymn. 



Favorite Practice. 

To gently temper your zeal by prudence. 



128 



flP^IIi 81. 



ST. ANSELM, Bishop and Doctor. 

JE^T. ANSELM, in the reign of King William 
v^a) Rufus, was a religious in the monastery of 
c^-7 Bee, and taught there polite literature and 
philosophy. He possessed one of the grandest in- 
tellects of his age; and it is said that he should be re- 
garded as the founder of modern philosophy, as he 
laid down all those principles which were later devel- 
oped by Malebranche and Descartes. Having been 
created archbishop of Canterbury, St. Anselm gov- 
erned his see with inexpressible meekness and firm- 
ness. His sympathies were warmly enlisted in the 
cause of the poor and suffering serfs; and even dumb 
animals are said to have claimed in their need the 
pitying tenderness of his gentle heart. He was filled 
with lively devotion to the Blessed Virgin, and com- 
posed treatises in her honor which breathe the sweet- 
est piety. St. Anselm, who has been styled the Mod- 
ern Augustine, died in 1109. 



Sunny hours, in every season, 

Wait the innocent. 
Those who taste in 1 >ve and reason 

What their God hath sent. 

Denis Florence McCarthy. 



Favorite Practice. 

A helpful co?npassion for the mise?'ies of others. 
129 



I 



JlPF$IIi 22. 



SS. ALEXANDER and EPIPODIUS, Martyrs. 

P^HESE two saints were united from their early 
youth in the purest and closest friendship; 
and studying under the same master, they 
manifested a holy emulation in all good and noble 
deeds. During the persecution of Lucius Verus, 
Alexander and Epipodius were cast into chains and 
subjected to various tortures. As they suffered the 
ordeal bravely together, the judge had them separat- 
ed, and then tried to work upon the very love they 
bore each other in order to effect their destruction. 
He represented to one of them that his friend had al- 
ready apostatized, and that he, in his turn, would 
also do well to renounce Christianity. But the noble 
sufferers could not be deceived by these falsehoods, 
and persevered with unwavering fidelity. Finally, 
about the year 165, Epipodius was beheaded, and 
Alexander expired on the cross. 



So love springs up in noble breasts, and there 

Has its appointed space, 
As heat in the bright flame finds its allotted place. 

From the Italian <?/Guido Guinicelli. 



Favorite Practice. 

To remember that friendship is only faithful in so 
far as it is Christian. 

130 



flPI^IIi 23. 



ST. GEORGE, Martyr. 

T. GEORGE, a native of Cappadocia, was born 
of noble Christian parents, in the time of the 
emperor Diocletian. He was a tribune in the 
army. Ancient legends relate that once, in travelling 
to join his legion, he came upon a city of Libya call- 
ed Selene where a monstrous dragon kept the inhab- 
itants in a state of constant terror and intimidation; 
and St. George, having captured and slain the mon- 
ster, was thereby instrumental in the conversion of 
many souls. In Palestine, under the proconsul 
Dacian, he was denounced as a Christian; and 
subjected to the most barbarous torments for 
the space of eight days. He was finally beheaded, 
about the year 303. He was chosen in a special 
manner as the chief patron of the English nation at 
the instance of King Henry V., when that monarch 
undertook his expedition for regaining France. 



Right manfully his cross he bore, 
And ran his race of torments sore; 
For Thee he poured his life away; 
With Thee he lives in endless day. 

We then, before Thee bending low, 
Entreat Thee, Lord, Thy love to show, 
On this the day Thy martyr died. 
Who in Thy saints art glorified! 

Anon. 



Favorite Practice. 

1 o combat and overcome the dragon of pride. 
13* 



ST. ROBERT, Abbot. 



\\kJ T. ROBERT was of the ancient family of the 
barons of Aurillac. He was canon and trea- 
surer of the church of St. Julian de Brionde, 
and most tenderly devoted to the cause of the sick 
poor. He tended their wounds in person, begged 
alms for them when his own resources were exhaust- 
ed, and finally founded for their benefit the hospital 
of Brionde. Then, out of desire for greater oppor- 
tunities of personal sanctification, he withdrew to the 
abbey of Cluny. The populace, however, eager to 
keep him in their midst, brought him back trium- 
phantly to Brionde. But when the occasion offered, 
St. Robert again fled away into solitude with two 
soldiers whom he had converted to God, and the 
Saint and his companions founded the famous Bene- 
dictine monastery of Chaise Dieu, where St. Robert 
died at an advanced age in the year 1007. 



Be it ours to meditate 
In these calm shades, Thy milder majesty, 
And to the beautiful order of Thy works 
Learn to conform the order of our lives. 

William Cullen Bryant. 



Favorite Practice. 

A visit, when practicable, to the hospitals of the sick 
poor. 

132 



flP^IL 2$. 



ST. MARK, the Evangelist. 

^ T. MARK was the disciple and interpreter to 
St. Peter, who, writing his Gospel at the 
request of the Christians of Rome, took it 
with him into Egypt. He first preached at Alex- 
andria, where he founded that Church. Afterwards, 
being apprehended for the faith of Christ, whilst he 
was offering up the holy sacrifice of the Mass, St. Mark 
was bound with cords, dragged upon stones, and shut 
up in a dungeon, where he was comforted by an 
angelic vision, and an apparition of our Lord. Finally, 
after many additional torments at the hands of the 
infidels, he was called to heaven, in the eighth year 
of Nero. 



Then will he say 
That the brightness of the sun 
Is darkness 
Compared with 
That great light 
Of God Almighty, 
That is to every soul 
Eternal without end, 
To blessed souls. 
From King Alfred's Metres of Bo'ethius. 



Favorite Practice. 

To recite the Litany of the Saints in order to obtain a 
blessing on the fruits of the earth. 



flPI^IL 26. 



ST. CLETUS, Pope and Martyr. 

1 T. CLETUS, called also Anacletus, displayed 
during his whole life a great zeal for the 
construction of churches, and the conferring 
of Holy Orders upon worthy subjects. While still 
a simple priest he founded a church dedicated to 
St. Peter, who is supposed to have converted and 
trained him to the sacred ministry. St. Cletus be- 
came the second successor of the Prince of the 
Apostles in the papal charge in the year 76, and 
suffered martyrdom under the emperor Diocletian in 
89. Little is known of the details of his life and 
death, except what is recorded in the Pontificate of 
Damasus. 



A sacred burden is this life ye bear; 
Look on it, lift it, bear it solemnly; 
Stand up and walk beneath it steadfastly. 
Fail not for sorrow, falter not for sin, 
But onward, upward, till the goal ye win. 

Anon. 



Favorite Practice. 

To have a true zeal for the glory of the house of God. 
134 



flpl^lli %%. 



ST. ZITA, Virgin. 

v€t? T. ZITA was a poor virgin who served as cook 
y5^) in the house of a gentleman of Lucca, Italy, 
^- in the thirteenth century. She passed her life 
in the humblest domestic duties, observing all the 
obligations of her lowly state with heroic fidelity. 
She was well tested by the severe ordeals of calumny 
and contempt; but she endured every trial with sin- 
gular meekness and patience, and submissively mani- 
fested to her enemies the divine magnanimity inspired 
by the pure love of God. In a word, St. Zita, in 
imitation of our Blessed Mother, spent her days in 
doing ordinary things extraordinarily well, and was 
raised at last on the altars of the Church. She died 
in 1272, and was beatified in 1696. 



The lowliest spot whence I can pray to Thee 
My Lord, my light, is worth all earth to me; 
'Neath Thy all-seeing - eye, 
Like wild-flower 'neath the sunny sky, 
My soul expands triumphant, happy, free ! 

From the French of Eugenie de Guerin. 



Favorite Practice. 

For humility's sake to engage at times in lowly 
household duties. 



flPF^IL 28. 



ST. VITALIS, Martyr. 

tHIS famous patron saint of Ravenna was one 
of the converts of St. Peter the Apostle, and 
served in the army of the emperor Nero. He 
was the father of Sts. Gervasius and Protasius, whose 
names are invoked by the Church in the Litany of 
the Saints. Seeing a Christian martyr led to death 
whose courage appeared to be sinking, St. Vitalis 
exhorted him to endure bravely to the end; and 
when the victim's sufferings were crowned by a 
happy death, Vitalis carried off the sacred relics and 
gave them honorable burial. For this he was first 
tortured and then buried alive. The Church of St. 
Vitalis at Ravenna was dedicated by St. Eclesias as 
early as 547. 



The deed divine 

Is written in characters of gold, 

That never shall grow old 

But, through all ages, 

Burn and shine 

With soft effulgence ! 

Henry W. Longfellow. 



Favorite Practice. 

To secure Christian burial for the dead. 
136 



Ppi^il 2a 



ST. PETER, Martyr. 

Y^? T. PETER was born at Verona about the year 
y^^ 1205. His parents and relatives belonged tc 
^^- the heretical sect of the Cathari, then prevail- 
ing in the north of Italy. Peter, however, was 
sent to a Catholic school, where he learned the Creed 
in its orthodox form. For repeating it in that form, 
he was beaten on his return home. While he was 
still a boy, the great St. Dominic came to preach at 
Verona, and, discerning the virtue and sterling faith 
of the young Peter, gave him the Dominican habit at 
the age of fifteen. The young novice became an elo- 
quent preacher, and was untiring in his zealous ef- 
forts to root out the heresy which had tainted his 
own family. His holy zeal provoked the bitter en- 
mity of the heretics, and he was waylaid by assassins 
in 1252, on the road between Como and Milan, and 
struck with an axe. St. Peter struggled to his knees 
and strove to trace the word Credo on the ground with 
his own blood; but his assailants again attacked him 
and completed his martyrdom with a sword. 



Fire of heaven's eternal ray, 
Gentle and unscorching flame, 

Strength in moments of dismay, 
Grief's redress and sorrow's balm, 

Light thy servant on his way. 
From the Spanish o/Yra Rodriguez Del Padron, O S.D. 



Favorite Practice. 

To seal our faith, if need be, with our blood. 
137 



flP^IL 30. 

ST. CATHERINE, OF SIENNA, Virgin. 

r |p^HE holy virgin of Sienna was born in 1347. 
vjlK Her parents desired her when young to enter 
^S? the marriage state; but St. Catherine declared 
that God called her to the state of virginity, and 
announced that she had already espoused herself to 
Christ. She was subjected, in consequence, to a sort 
of petty persecution in her own home. Her trials and 
sufferings were many and varied. Infirm in health, 
she tended the poor and sick, and frequently received 
nothing but insults and calumnies for her heroic la- 
bors. But St. Catherine drew from all these afflic- 
tions the precious fruits of humility, meekness, and 
divine love. God honored her with the gift of mira- 
cles and favored her with sublime revelations. A 
poor daughter of St. Dominic, St. Catherine enjoyed 
the veneration and confidence of the great, as well as 
of the princes of the Church. She contributed in 
those troublous days towards re-establishing peace in 
Italy, and induced Pope Gregory to return to Rome. 
St. Catherine died at the age of thirty-three years. 



So unaffected, so composed a mind; 
So firm, so soft, so strong - , yet so refined; 
Heaven, as its purest gold, by tortures tried: 
The saint sustained it, but the woman died. 

Alexander Pope. 



Favorite Practice. 

To reflect that " whoever is strong in faith overcom- 
etk the world." 

138 



W*m> 



May, among her violets airy, 

Sings exultant hymns of praise : 
"All my nights and all my days, 

Are thy very own, dear Mary /" 

E. C. D. 



139 



(Day i. 

SS. PHILIP AND JAMES, Apostles. 

. vA^ FTER St. Philip had converted almost all Scy- 
^~j^ thia to the faith of Christ, being fastened to 
' ""■■ - °^ a cross he was stoned to death, making a glo- 
rious end, at Hieropolis, in Asia, a.d. 54. St. James, 
surnamed the Less, who is called our Lord's brother, 
was the first bishop of Jerusalem, and was deeply 
reverenced for his eminent sanctity, even by the 
Jews. But a prejudice w r as excited against him by 
the Sanhedrim, convoked by the high-priest Ananias, 
and being thrown from a pinnacle of the Temple, 
his thighs were broken. His assailants finally stoned 
him and w T ounded him in the head with a fuller's 
club, and the holy bishop gave up the ghost and was 
buried near the Temple in the year 63. 



Ye prophets and apostles ! plead 
Before our Judge, and intercede 
For sinners, that by tears unfeigned, 
His pardoning- grace may be obtained. 

Placare Christi y Servulis. 



Favorite Practice. 

Frequent and reverential repetition of the Lord's 



prayer. 



141 



\5s 



(Day 2, 



ST. ATHANASIUS, Bishop and Doctor. 

J T. ATHANASIUS was patriarch of Alexandria, 
} and was possessed of a singularly sweet and 
strong character. Five times was he driven 
from his diocese by the powerful machinations of the 
Arians, but he was so inflexible in doctrine that 
every time he returned, the faith of Christ triumphed 
afresh. St. Gregory of Nazianzen, in a beautiful 
eulogy of St. Athanasius, bore eloquent testimony to 
the mingled gentleness and firmness of his authority, 
adding that " The enemies of the faith found in him 
a soul unbending, and his persecutors a victim insen- 
sible to their shafts; no human consideration was 
capable of making him turn aside in favor of injus- 
tice." The subject of his eulogy slept the sleep of 
the just in 375. 



With eloquence innate his tongue was armed, 
Though harsh the precept, yet the preacher charmed. 

John Dry den. 



Favorite Practice. 

To sweeten disagreeable truths with the honey of af- 
fability. 

142 



QAY 3. 



THE FINDING OF THE HOLY CROSS. 

| H E sacred wood upon which our Lord and Sa- 
viour Jesus Christ was crucified and suffered 
death, was for centuries concealed by the in- 
fidels from the veneration of the faithful; but in a.d. 
326 St. Helen, the mother of Constantine the Great, 
although a woman of venerable age, made a pilgrim- 
age to Palestine in order to institute a search for the 
Holy Rood. The princess, having zealously directed 
certain excavations near the summit of Mount Cal- 
vary, finally came upon the true cross, whose authen- 
ticity was miraculously proved by the instant cure of 
a sick woman and the restoration to life of a dead 
body, after both had been brought in contact with the 
sacred relic. 



O loved and Holy Cross of yore, 
Thy sacred wood we all adore. 
On thy rough bed my Lord reclined, 
Which makes Thee blest to all mankind, 

Trie Sivizi* Cr:5s ::' C:-.'.viry '. 

Vi: tin Avgvst::;e G:z 



Favorite Practice. 
Ti dilute the relic of the True Cross, when permitted 



©AY & 



ST. MONICA, Widow. 

x^^ T. MONICA lived at Hippo in the fourth cen- 
^^ tury. She was united in marriage to a pagan 
^"^ named Patricius. and numbered among her 
children the great Augustine, afterwards the light 
and ornament of the Church. But what with the 
irreligion of her spouse and the disorders of her 
gifted son (whose youth and early manhood were 
corrupted with libertinism and heresy), St. Monica's 
days and nights were passed in prayer and tearful 
penance for the conversion of those precious souls. 
After seventeen years Patricius, vanquished by the 
holy weapons of his patient wife, died the death of a 
Christian; and, later, Augustine was in his turn, 
brought back to God. St. Monica had only asked of 
Heaven that her son might become a Christian; but 
God, moved by the generous devotion of the mother, 
granted to her once-erring boy the grace to become 
also a priest, a bishop, a saint, and doctor of the 
Church. St. Monica died in 3S7. 



Patience; accomplish thy labor; accomplish thy work of affection; 

Sorrow and silence are strong", and patient endurance is God- 
like. 

Therefore accomplish thy labor of love till the heart is made 
Godlike, 

Purified, strengthened, perfected, and rendered more worthy of 
heaven ! 

Henry W. Longfellow. 



Favorite Practice. 
To persevere against all obstacles in praying for the 

conversion of sinners. 

144 



CQay 



ST. PIUS V., Pope and Confessor. 

( T the death of Pope Pius IV., the Cardinals 
jfe\^ being in conclave to elect his successor, 
St. Charles Borromeo directed the general 
suffrage in favor of Cardinal Alessandrini, who was 
therefore chosen to the high dignity, and assumed 
the name of Pius V. His pontificate fully sustained 
the wisdom of St. Charles's choice. The Turkish Em- 
pire was then in the prime of its power; pirates in- 
fested the seas, and the coasts of Italy and Spain were 
threatened by the unbeliever. The Sovereign Pontiff 
united the fleets of Christendom, and assigned the 
command thereof to Don John of Austria. The battle 
of Lepanto was fought, the Ottoman navy was anni- 
hilated, and the cause of Christendom triumphed. 
When the victory took place Pope Pius was engaged 
in earnest prayer, and God revealed to him at once 
the success which crowned the Christian arms. This 
happened in I57i;andthe following year the holy 
Pontiff died. 



All shouted " Glory be to God on high !" 

As from a spot adjoining I could hear, 

To which with more distinctness came the cry. 

Dante. 



Favorite Practice. 

Unwavering confidence in the power of intercession. 
145 



(Day 6. 



ST. JOHN BEFORE THE LATIN GATE. 

1 T. JOHN, the beloved disciple of Christ, after 
the death of our Blessed Lady having con- 
tinued his apostolate and attained a great 
age in the zealous pursuance of his mission, was 
seized by the minions of the emperor Domitian, in 
the year 95, and carried in chains from Ephesus to 
Rome. In the latter city, the aged Apostle was in- 
humanly scourged, so that his limbs were all lacer- 
ated; and then the tyrant ordered him to be cast 
into a caldron of boiling oil before the Latin Gate. 
Wonderful to relate, St. John lived and glorified 
God in his terrible bath; and the seething liquid be- 
came as a balm which completely healed the wounds 
the scourging had inflicted on him. This miracle 
converted many souls. Domitian himself was struck 
with wonder, and ended by banishing St. John to the 
island of Patmos, where he wrote the Apocalypse. 



... I caught 
The flame, and in that flame shall burn forever; 
I love, and 'gainst my heart has throbbed the Heart 
Of my Beloved. 
From the Italian of Silvio Pellico by Rev. Matthew 
Russell, S. J. 



Favorite Practice. 

To frequently assure yourself that all things work 
together for good to them that love God. 
146 



ST. STANISLAUS, Bishop and Martyr. 
Sk T the period when St. Stanislaus was bishop of 



Cracow the throne of Poland was filled by 
a monarch named Boleslaus, whose life 
given up to the wildest excesses. His disorders were 
a scandal to all Christian souls, yet none dared 
remonstrate with the dissolute king. The holy 
bishop of Cracow deemed it a duty to remind his 
sovereign of the obligations which he owed to God 
and his subject was a perilous undertaking, 

and St. Stanislaus did not conceal from himself the 
painful consequences which might result from it. 
He spoke to the king, therefore, with mingled gen- 
tleness and firmness; but Boleslaus, enraged, vowed 
his destruction. After projecting an unjust law-suit 
which terminated to the satisfaction of the Saint, and 
the confusion of the king, Boleslaus charged certain 
soldiers to assass nate St. Stanislaus. Whilst tbe 
latter was celebrating Mass, in the year 1079, the 
wicked king led the murderers into the church and 
martyred the bishop at the altar, the sacrilegious 
monarch striking the first blow with his own hand. 



Believe that strength lies not in steel or stone; 

i. h:.: ' -:r '.5 ".:._; :'zt '.:-.?. i ■■;':.: = ± ht:-YT :'~r z±. 
Though ringed by swords and rich with titled sfa 
Is based on fettered misery below. 

Boyle O'Rehxy. 



Favorite Practice. 
In the exercise of lawful authority to be c 
tntle in the duty of fraternal cor 



I 



(Day a 



APPARITION OF ST. MICHAEL, the Archangel. 

JIT N the sixth century Rome was nearly depopulated 
jjf by a great pestilence. St. Gregory, who was after- 
wards Pope, advised that a procession should 
be made through the streets of the city, the faithful 
praying and singing the long litanies. Accordingly, 
he placed himself at the head of the ranks, and for 
three days the worshippers perambulated the city. 
On the third day, when the procession arrived oppo- 
site the Mole of Hadrian, Gregory beheld the Arch- 
angel Michael alight on the summit of that monu- 
ment and sheathe a sword which was dripping with 
blood. Then Gregory knew that the plague was 
stayed, and a church was there dedicated to the great 
archangel; and the Tomb of Hadrian has since been 
called the Castle of Sant' Angelo. 



I raised my eyes, and shining, 

Where the moon's first ray was bright, 
Stood a winged angel-warrior, 

Clothed and panoplied with light: 
So with Heaven's love upon him, 

Stern, in calm and resolute will, 
Looked St. Michael, — does the picture 

Hang in the old cloister still ? 

Adelaide A. Procter. 



Favorite Practice. 

Confidence in the protecting power of St. Michael. 
148 



(Day 9. 



ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN, Bishop and 
Doctor. 

(JSO 

tN the year 378, the imperial city of Constanti- 
nople was infested with the heretical sects 
known as the Arians and Apollinarists. When 
St. Gregory Nazianzen entered the city to begin 
a spiritual crusade against error, the orthodox be- 
lievers only retained possession of one church — 
that of Anastasius. Advanced in years, exhausted 
by prayer and penance, St. Gregory came to his 
mission a poor, meanly clad man, without a com- 
panion to aid him. But the aged saint bore within 
him a soul of fire, and his eloquence of speech was 
unequalled. He was further animated by a vision 
of the Blessed Virgin, who caused an angel to pre- 
sent him with a golden pen. In vain did the heretics 
persecute and calumniate the missionary of Christ. 
In vain they stoned him in the streets and dragged 
him before tribunals. The cause of divine truth tri- 
umphed. The flock of the faithful was gradually 
increased by Gregory's efforts, and in 380 he was 
elected bishop of Constantinople. Peace being es- 
tablished, St. Gregory deemed his mission ended, 
and withdrew to the cloister, where he died in 390. 



Truth crushed to earth shall rise again; 

The eternal years of God are hers: 
But Error, wounded, writhes with pain, 

And dies among his worshippers. 

William Cullen Bryant. 



Favorite Practice. 
To fulfil with zealous fidelity the mission God en- 
trusts to you, 

149 



GQay 10. 

ST. ANTONINUS, Bishop of Florence. 

^TT N 1448, a terrible plague raged throughout Flor- 
1|f ence, and was followed by a desolating famine. 
^^ St. iVntoninus was the gentle archbishop of that 
fated diocese, and his labors for his sick and starving 
flock were scarcely over before other awful visitations 
in the shape of successive earthquakes again drew 
forth developments of his heavenly charity and zeal. 
By the severe simplicity of his tastes he econo- 
mized his income for the benefit of the poor, and 
was thus enabled to bestow generous alms. His 
tender love of the afflicted led him even to beg in 
their behalf; and this active benevolence, joined with 
the exceeding fervor of his prayers, endeared St. 
Antoninus alike to God and men. He was honored 
with many miracles, and died at an advanced age in 
*459- 



In accent so benign and passing sweet 

As scarce was heard in this our mortal land. 

Dante. 



Favorite Practice. 

To comfort the afflicted, with a practical benevolence. 



(Day 11. 



ST. MAMERTUS, Bishop asid Confessor. 

IT. MAMERTUS was the originator of the Ro- 
gation Days, so well known to the faithful 
as seasons of universal supplication to God. 
They had their origin at a period in the middle 
of the fifth century when Gaul was beset with the 
multiplied woes of civil wars, epidemics, floods, 
fires, and earthquakes. All nature seemed to be 
in throes; the wild beasts quitted their haunts and 
roamed at large in crowded cities, and the inhabi- 
tants were filled with fear and distress. St. Mamer- 
tus, then bishop of Vienne, directed that solemn 
public prayers should be offered to God to turn aside 
His wrath; and commanded the people to combine 
fasting with their fervent supplications. God had 
already favored the holy bishop with the gift of mir- 
acles, and He now proved by the cessation cf the 
prevailing disasters that He was pleased with the horn- 
age offered at the suggestion of His servant. St. 
Mamertus passed to his reward in the year 477. 



Th' Almighty now His servant's glory shows 
And signal favors through his prayers bestows; 
Diseases fly before his shrine, 
And health returns by power divine. 

Iste Confessor. 



Favorite Practice. 

A faithful attendance at the public offices of the 
Church. 



151 



fflAY 12. 

ST, PANCRAS, Martyr. 

JITN the persecution under Diocletian this young 
jJP saint, who was only fourteen years of age, en- 
^^ couraged by the example and words of his 
uncle, Denys, who was in bonds for the faith, of- 
fered himself voluntarily as a martyr, defending 
boldly before the emperor the cause of the Chris- 
tians. He was thereupon beheaded by the sword, 
and his body honorably buried by the Christian 
women. His church in Rome near the Porta de San 
Pancrazio has existed since the year 500. Cardinal 
Wiseman, in his Fabiola, presents an exquisite pic- 
ture of the young Pancratius. 



A boy — and yet with power in his face, 

And in his lifted eyes a holy peace; 
The secret stimulus of Christ's embrace 
Upholds the weakest in the torture-place, 

And nerves the soul with foretaste of release. 

Eleanor C. Donnelly. 



Favorite Practice. 

To impress tcpon young people the necessity of un- 
derstanding and defending the principles of their faith. 
152 



fflAY 13. 



ST. JOHN THE SILENT, Hermit. 

v\S? T. JOHN, surnamed the Silent, was born of a 
v^) very wealthy family living at Nicopolis, in 
^-^ Armenia, in the latter part of the fifth or the 
beginning of the sixth century. He devoted his 
wealth to building a monastery, and also a church 
which was dedicated to the Blessed Mother of God. 
Having retired into the former, he was drawn thence 
at the age of twenty-eight and made bishop of Co- 
lonia, but after discharging faithfully the duties of 
that office for nine years he again withdrew from the 
world, first to a secluded spot as a solitary, and 
later to the monastery of St. Sabas. St. John gave 
himself up entirely to a life of contemplation. His 
rule was never to speak except in cases of necessity, 
and then to speak with such discretion that no word 
might be either wrong or useless. He died about 
the year 560. 



Thus let me live unseen, unknown, 

Thus, unlamented, let me die; 
Steal from this world, and not a stone 
Tell where I lie. 

Alexander Pope. 



Favorite Practice. 

To gua?'d not only against wrong, but useless words. 
153 



(Day i*. 

ST. PACOMIUS, Hermit. 

>>S? ^' PACOMIUS was but twenty years old when 
y^^ he was despatched as a soldier in the service 
^^ of the militia to the town of Thebes in Egypt. 
The young man was a pagan, but the family on whom 
he was billeted during his service in the town, treated 
him with the most hospitable courtesy and considera- 
tion; and Pacomius, on inquiring the reason, discov- 
ered that his hosts were Christians. So charmed was 
he with their daily life that he himself embraced the 
true faith; and having placed himself under the guid- 
ance of a holy old man named Palemon, he entered 
upon the career of a hermit, and helped to lay the 
foundation of those monasteries of the Thebaid which 
were afterwards to become so famous. St. Pacomius 
died in 348. 



Oh, what a glory doth this world put on 
For him who with a fervent heart goes forth 
Under the bright and glorious sky, and looks 
On duties well performed and days well spent ! 

Henry W. Longfellow. 



Favorite Practice. 

To preach to others by good exa?)iple rather than by 
words, 

154 



(Day is. 



ST. PETER LAMPSACUS, Martyr. 

( T Lampsacus, a town of the Hellespont, dur- 
ing the persecution of Decius, a youth, named 
Peter, was denounced as a Christian. The 
proconsul ordered him to burn incense in honor of 
the goddess Venus. The brave young confessor re- 
fused with horror, and boldly condemned the vices 
which were attributed to that goddess by her worship- 
pers. He exclaimed, " I despise a woman of bad 
life, and I honor only the One God, my Lord Jesus 
Christ, the God made man for the expiation of the 
sins of the world !" The courageous youth was then 
most cruelly racked and tortured; but the proconsul, 
seeing his joyful perseverance in suffering for the 
name of Christ, ordered him to be beheaded. 



And I tnmk how a pure spirit gazing on thee 
Must long for the moment, the joyous, the free, 
"When the soul disembodied from nature shall spring, 
Unfettered, at once to her Maker and King. 

Gerald Griffin. 



Favorite Practice. 

To shun like a plague all that savors of impurity in 
art and literature. 



GQay 16. 

ST. JOHN NEPOMUCEN, Martyr. 

gT. JOHN NEPOMUCEN was born in Bohe- 
£y mia about 1330, and his life was miracu- 
lously preserved in his infancy. He early 
dedicated himself to God and the Blessed Vir- 
gin, and became a priest. He preached with such 
signal success among the students of the town of 
Prague that the emperor Wenceslas sent for him, 
and after hearing him preach made him his almoner. 
The empress and many of the nobility then began to 
have recourse to the holy man for confession and 
spiritual direction. Wenceslas, being jealously sus- 
picious of the past life of his pious consort, com- 
manded St. Tohn to reveal to him the confessions 
of the empress. St. John firmly refused to betray 
his sacred trust, and Wenceslas subjected the noble 
priest to a protracted torture, and caused him at last 
to be thrown into the Moldau. The sacred body was 
discovered by the celestial light which surrounded it, 
was withdrawn from the water, and fittingly interred. 
This occurred in 1383. 



. . . The failing eye grows bright, 
And the strong spirit, wading through its blood, 
Casts off its chains and kneels in light, — with God. 

Hon. Ignatius Donnelly. 



Favorite Practice. 

To thank God for the sacred secrecy of the confes- 
sional. 

156 



©ay 17. 

ST. TROPESIUS, Martyr. 

ROPESIUS was one of the chief functionaries 
at the court of Nero, when he was converted 
-^ to the faith of Christ by the apostle St. Paul. 
He continued his duties at the palace, but gave him- 
self fearlessly to the practice of prayer and Christian 
works. He is one of those of whom the Apostle 
speaks when he says: "The saints salute you, and 
chiefly those of the household of Caesar." At the 
first persecution under his brutal emperor, however, 
Tropesius was denounced on account of his faith. 
He was bound to a pillar and cruelly scourged: 
then tied to the wheel of a chariot, and finally 
thrown to the wild beasts of the arena. The lions 
refused to touch him, and, as he still lived after all 
his terrible torments, the holy confessor was be- 
headed bv order of the tribune Satellicus. 



The weary strife, the beating- of the bars. 

The torn limbs trailing- 'neath the triumph-cars, 

The mockery and the moan — 
What boots it all to him whose path lies where 
Some conquering day his soul shall mount the air 

Up to a golden throne ? 

Anon. 



Favorite Practice. 
To revere the memory of the early martyrs, a)id to 



imitate their zeal. 

157 



fflAY 18. 

ST. THEODOTUS, Martyr. 

JJT N the latter part of the third century there lived 
]J| in the town of Ancyra a Christian inn-keeper, 
-"^ named Theodotus. His life was a holy but 
a hidden one, as, while discharging the duties of 
his humble profession, he sanctified himself by 
prayer, almsgiving, and other works of charity. In 
the persecution then prevailing, his aunt Thecusia 
and many Christian virgins had undergone mar- 
tyrdom, and their bodies had been sunk in a pool, 
weighted with stones, to deprive them of Chris- 
tian burial. Theodotus, searching for these sacred 
remains by night, found them by the help of angels, 
and gave the blessed bodies honorable interment. 
For this he was denounced and subjected to pro- 
tracted and most terrible tortures; and finally, having 
been beheaded, the judge ordered his body to be re- 
duced to ashes, so that the Christians might not 
venerate his relics. This occurred about the year 
303. 



His fearless deeds around, like attending angels, stand, 
Claiming recognition from the noble and the grand. 

Joseph Brenan. 



Favorite Practice. 

To reverence our bodies as tlie temples of the Holy 
Ghost. 

158 



(Day 19. 

ST. DUNSTAN, Bishop. 

1 T. DUNSTAN lived in England in the latter 
1^ part of the tenth century, and was destined 
by Divine Providence to exercise a powerful 
influence over the kings and courts of his time. As 
a simple monk, he aided by his counsels the kings 
Athelstan, Edmund, and Edred. Later, as bishop of 
Worcester, he rendered the same service to King Ed- 
gar; and later still, as archbishop of Canterbury, he 
checked by his firmness the grave disorders which 
arose in the court and realms of that monarch, and 
even induced Edgar himself to descend from his 
throne and perform public penance. After his assas- 
sination, Dunstan boldly announced to Ethelred, the 
murderer of Edgar, the woes that would befall him; 
and manfully upheld Edgar's son, Edward, in his 
claim to the crown. The great archbishop died 

in 9S8 

♦ 

Were a star quenched on high, 

For ages would its light, 
Still travelling downward from the sky, 

Shine on our mortal sight. 

So when a great man dies, 

For years beyond our ken 
The light he leaves behind him lies 

Upon the paths of men. 

Henry W. Longfellow. 



Favorite Practice. 

A single-hearted courage which vanquishes human 
respect. 

*59 



(Day 20. 



ST. BERNARDINE OF SIENNA, Confessor. 

^HIS saint was of the noble family of the Albi- 
zeschi, and was born at Massa in the Sien- 
nese territory, in 1380. From childhood he 
manifested a great piety and purity of disposition; 
and began at the age of seventeen to devote himself 
to the care of the poor and the sick. During a great 
plague which broke out at that time at Sienna, St. 
Bernardine, assisted by twelve young men, sustained 
the entire charge of the plague-hospital, and was in 
attendance night and day. At the age of twenty- 
three he took the habit of St. Francis, and not only 
became a renowned preacher, but also established 
the Osservanli, or reformed Order of Franciscans. 
His zeal, his oratory, and the splendid example of 
his own pure, mortified life worked wonders in all 
the chief towns of Italy. St. Bernardine passed to 
his eternal reward in 1444. 



The proud he tamed, the penitent he cheered, 

Nor to rebuke the rich offender feared; 

His preaching much, but more his practice wrought 

A living sermon of the truths he taught; 

For this, by rules severe, his life he squared, 

That all might see the doctrine which they heard. 

John Dryden. 



Favorite Practice. 

To ground yourself first solidly in virtue^ if you 
would induce others to practise it. 
160 



fflAY 21. 



ST. HOSPITUS, Hermit. 

NATIVE of Gaul, named Hospitus, having 
made a journey to Egypt, was so enamored 
with the life of the solitaries of the Thebaid 
that he returned to a secluded spot near Nice, and 
there shut himself up in a deserted tower. Devoted 
to manual labor and prayer, he spent fifteen years in 
the severest penance; and in return for the mats which 
he made, the country people brought him the scanty 
supply of food and water of which he partook. The 
gift of prophecy was bestowed upon him, and he 
foretold the approaching irruption of the Lombards. 
When his prediction was realized, and one of the 
soldiers entered the cell of Hospitus and uplifted his 
arm to strike the helpless recluse, the arm of the ruf- 
fian at once withered up, and was only restored to its 
functions by the prayers of the hermit. This miracle 
converted the soldier, and led him also to embrace 
the life of an anchorite. Hospitus died in his tower 
in the year 581. 



Do thou, then, breathe those thoughts into my mind 
By which such virtue may in me be bred 
That in thy holy footsteps I may tread. 

From the Italian <?/Michael Angelo Buonarotti. 



Favorite Practice. 

1 Do good to them that hate yon." 



(Day 22. 

ST. JULIA, Martyr. 

^£X^7~HEN Genseric sought to introduce Arian- 
h^mlt^ ism into Carthage, he persecuted the 
c ^ ) true believers in that region; and num- 

bers of all ranks and conditions were sold into slav- 
ery. St. Julia was one of these confessors. She 
was purchased by a Syrian merchant named Eusebius, 
who, discovering in time the virtue and fidelity of 
his bondwoman, treated .her with great consider- 
ation, and allowed her the free practice of her reli- 
gion. On one occasion, however, Eusebius took his 
slave with him to Corsica; and as Julia refused to 
take part in the pagan festivals which were being 
celebrated there, Felix, the governor of the island, 
insisted on subjecting her to torture in order to 
compel her to yield. Eusebius was plied with wine, 
so that he might aid these iniquitous designs; but 
Julia remaining firm in her faith, Felix caused her to 
be bound to a cross, whereon she expired, in the 
year 440. 



I walk in dreams 'mid heavenly hills: 
I hear the music of their rills; 
Their wild birds sing, their zephyrs play, 
In greenwoods of eternal May. 

Dr. R. D. Joyce. 



Favorite Practice. 

Fortitude in unexpected trial. 
162 



(Day 23. 

ST. DES1DERIUS, Bishop and Martyr. 

v(2? T. DESIDERIUS was bishop of Langres about 
y^^ the year 410, when the Vandals were besieg- 
^- ing that town. Thinking to move the hearts 
of the assailants, the good bishop assembled the 
principal members of his clergy and flock, and sallied 
forth with them to offer themselves as a holocaust to 
the fury of the barbarians, cherishing the hope that 
such an act would obtain the safety of Langres. But 
the Vandals, incapable of appreciating such generous 
self-sacrifice, proposed to Desiderius to apostatize 
and worship the false gods. On the refusal of the 
brave bishop to deny Christ, the barbarians beheaded 
him and his companions, within view of those whom 
they had hoped to save. The bodies of the martyrs 
were rescued the same night, and buried within the 
town. 



That sacred flame Thy saints have known 

Kindle, O Lord, in me; 

Thou above all the rest forever, 

And all the rest in Thee ! 

Adelaide A. Procter. 



Favorite Practice. 

A daily perseverance, by means of prayer, in generous 
self-sacrifice. 

163 



OQay 24 

OUR LADY, Help of Christians. 

fN 1571 a naval battle took place in the Gulf of Le- 
panto, near the Echinidas Islands, in which en- 
gagement the Christians were triumphant over 
the Turks. After the victory, the Pope. St. Pius V., 
added to the Litany of the Blessed Virgin the title 
" Help of Christians." The feast of Our Lady, Help 
of Christians, however, was not formally proclaimed 
until after the second return of Pope Pius VII. from 
exile. During his banishment, he had invoked the 
intercession of the Mother of God; and the faithful, 
at his request, had joined him in that supplication. 
His return was unexpected; and as he referred to the 
Blessed Virgin so signal a favor, he desired that the 
feast of Our Lady, Help of Christians, should be 
celebrated annually by the Church in happy remem- 
brance of the event. 



When Beads above the banner hung. 
While Christian heroes fought ; 
And Moslem arms, beneath the force 
Of all-prevailing prayer. 
Were humbled by such rude defeat 
As taught them to despair. 

Ellen Downing. 



Favorite Practice. 

The frequent use of the aspiration, " Auxilium 
Christianorwn, ora pro nobis?'' 
164 



(Day 2©. 

ST. GREGORY VII., Pope and Confessor. 

JILDEBRAND, afterwards the great St. 
Gregory VII., was born in Tuscany and 
^-^ educated at Rome. He afterwards became 
a monk at Cluny, but was recalled to Rome, where 
he acquired fame by his zeal, sanctity, and learn- 
ing. In 1054 Pope Victor II. sent Hildebrand into 
France as legate, authorized to abolish simoniacal 
practices; and the councils at Lyons and Tours 
w T ere productive of wonderful results. In 1073, on 
the death of Pope Alexander II., the humble Hilde- 
brand succeeded him in the papal chair, under the 
title of Gregory VII. He was an unsparing opponent 
of the crime of simony; and his most powerful enemy 
was Henry IV., king of Germany, who headed a 
simoniacal schism, and in 1084 invaded Rome and 
besieged the Pontiff in the Castle of St. Angelo. 
Duke Robert of Calabria, however, rescued the Pope 
and routed his enemies, and Gregory having been 
conducted by his defender to Salerno, fell ill there, 
and peacefully expired on May 25, 10S5, in the 
twelfth year of bis pontificate. 



... A purpose high 
To smite imperial heresy, 
And cleanse the altar's stain. 

Cardinal Newman. 



Favorite Practice. 

To pray God constantly to deliver us from ' ' the 
abomination of desolation." 
165 



fflAY 26. 



ST. PHILIP NERI, Confessor, 

V Q T. PHILIP DE XERI was born in Florence 
^^J in 15 15. and from his early years displayed a 
^^ great thirst for knowledge and piety. His 
profound humility prevented him from receiving 
Holy Orders until the age of thirty-eight; but his 
confessor induced him then to be ordained in order 
that he might be more useful in the salvation of 
souls. Henceforth, in fact, the zeal of St. Philip 
knew no bounds, and he displayed a marvellous 
facility in winning and leading souls to perfection. 
He was accustomed to retire to a little oratory of 
the church of St. Jerome in Rome, where his dis- 
ciples came to pray with him, and confer upon eccle- 
siastical matters. Such was the beginning of the 
Congregation of the Oratory, whereof St. Philip be- 
came the first Rector-General. The great Florentine 
died in 1595. 



Paradise ! O Paradise ! 
"Tis weary waiting here ; 

1 long to be where Jesus is — 
To feel, to see Him near : 
Where loyal hearts and true 
Stand ever in the light, 

All rapture through and through, 
In God's most holy sight. 
Father Faber, Priest of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri. 



Favorite Practice. 

A holy liberty of spirit, joined with cheerful self- 
denial. 

166 



(Day 27. 



ST. MARY MAGDALEN OF PAZZI, Virgin. 

T. MARY MAGDALEN of Pazzi was a child 
of benediction, elected from her very infancy 
to manifest the marvels of divine love in a 
chosen and faithful soul. At the tender age of twelve 
years, she consecrated herself to Jesus Christ by a 
solemn vow; and as her noble parents (holding a dis- 
tinguished position at Florence) wished the young 
Magdalen, three years later, to marry a suitable con- 
sort, the holy virgin announced, like St. Agnes, her 
espousals to that Eternal Lover to whom her heart 
and life were dedicated. Soon after, she entered the 
Carmelite Order, attracted thither by the frequent 
communions allowed its members. Her fervor was 
tested by many trials and temptations; but her fidel- 
ity remaining unshaken, she breathed forth her soul 
in the sweetest peace in the year 1607, being then 
forty-one years of age. Her favorite motto was 
" Pati 11011 mori." 



With outstretched arms, she kneels in glowing prayer 
(That gentle dove in Carmers holy nest). 
" To suffer or to die V she ponders there, 

And smites her breast; 
** To die, sweet Christ ? Exchange Thy cross and care 
For swift reward ? Ah ! no, more pleased am I 

To suffer yet not die!" 

From "Legend of the Best- Beloved.^ 



Favorite Practice. 

Frequent spiritual communion. 

167 



(Day m. 

ST. GERMAIN, Bishop and Confessor. 

tHE bishop of Paris, and the counsellor of kings, 
the eminent sanctity of St. Germain was at- 
tested by many miracles. He was, truly, the 
father of the poor; and after exhausting his resources 
in most generous alms, he was even known to dispose 
of the sacred vessels in order to provide food for the 
hungry. His zeal for the dignity and solemnity of 
the divine worship was singularly exceptional. He 
recited the canonical office every day with uncovered 
head; even when travelling, and in inclement weather, 
offering that tribute of respect. He assisted every 
night at the entire office in his cathedral church; and 
whilst the clerks and canons divided that time into 
three several vigils, St. Germain remained there alone, 
without relaxing his fervor, until daydawn. The 
devoted bishop died in 576. 



For by united force of all the spirit's powers, 
A truly noble life in just proportion towers. 

Schiller, 



Favorite Practice. 

Zeal for the offices of the Chwch. 



168 



(Day 2d. 

ST. CYRIL, Martyr. 

tHE little child-martyr Cyril was the son of a 
Christian mother who trained him carefully, 
and taught him to despise all earthly things 
for the sake of Jesus. But the boy's father was an 
idolater. He hated Christianity, and drove his little 
son from the shelter of his roof because he was faith- 
ful to his Lord and Saviour. It was a time of general 
persecution (supposed to have been during the reign 
of the emperor Decius), and the governor of Caesarea, 
hearing of the little Cyril and of his banishment 
from home, caused the child to be brought before 
him. There the boy was tempted by caresses and 
promises to apostatize, and afterwards was led to 
the place of execution and shown the horrid instru- 
ments of torture. But blandishments and threats 
were alike of no avail in moving the little confessor; 
and the judge suffered him at last to win the eternal 
crown he craved. 



O beauty of holiness, 

Of self-forgetfulness, of lowliness ! 

O power of meekness 

Whose very gentleness and weakness 

Are like the yielding but irresistible air ! 

Henry W. Longfellow. 



Favorite Practice. 

To cultivate in children a practical spirit of fai 
169 



(Day so. 

ST. FERDINAND, King. 

T. FERDINAND reigned for thirty-five years 
over the kingdoms of Castile and Leon. He 
was obliged to sustain continual wars against 
the Moors. " Thou knowest, O my God," he often 
exclaimed, " that it is neither from ambition nor the 
love of glory, that I make war on the enemies of Thy 
name, but in order to strike terror into those that 
blaspheme it." The holy king commanded his ar- 
mies in person and presented to them a noble ex- 
ample of piety and bravery. He implored the pro- 
tection of the God of hosts upon his arms, and wore 
under his own armor a hair-shirt shaped like a cross. 
He died on the 30th of May. 1252, and was canon- 
ized in 1671. 



. . . Came 

The bitter Death, 

And this king so dear 

Snatched from the earth. 

Angels carried 

His soul sincere 

Into the light of heaven. 

CiEDMOK. 



Favorite Practice. 
To seek God's glory, and not our ozcn, in defence of 
the right. 

x 7 o 



0}AY 31. 



ST. PETRONILLA, Virgin. 

\ T. PETRONILLA, according to an ancient 
tradition, was the daughter of St. Peter the 
Apostle. She was gifted with great beauty, 
and, living at Rome in the practice of all Christian 
maidenly virtues, she was sought in marriage by a 
Roman knight named Flaccus. The holy virgin had 
taken a vow to belong only to God, but being unable 
to free herself from the pressing attentions of her 
suitor, she begged him to grant her three days for 
the mature consideration of his proposal. During 
this interval she prepared herself for death, and fer- 
vently implored her divine Spouse to draw her to 
Himself. On the third day she was found dead, in 
the attitude of prayer. 



She was so beautiful, so bright, 
So spirit-like in her bridal-white, 
It seemed, in the dim funereal light, 
'Twas an angel that they saw. 

George H. Miles. 



Favorite Practice. 

To weigh well, in prayer and retreat, the question of 
vocation. 

171 



!tttl£. 



June, the rosy, radiant fairy, 

Murmurs : " Oh! how fair thou art! 

Lady of the Sacred Heart, 
Summers sweets are thine 7 sweet Mary T 

E. C. D 



5UNE 1. 



ST. PAMPHILIUS, Priest and Martyr. 

\^S T. PAMPHILIUS was born at Beryta of a no- 
i?\) ble and powerful family, somewhere about the 
middle of the third century. He had been 
highly cultivated in profane literature, and held an 
important office in the magistracy of his native town. 
Becoming a Christian, he directed his studies to sa- 
cred learning, and gathered together a library of thir- 
ty thousand volumes. Numerous disciples collected 
around him, among whom one of the most famous 
was Eusebius of Csesarea. In the latter town Pam- 
philius established a school for the instruction of his 
followers in a purely Christian philosophy. Soon, 
however, the master felt a call to a more perfect life. 
He distributed his goods to the poor, gave his library 
to the church at Caesarea, and withdrew to a humble 
and hidden life. Whilst he was preparing himself 
for a holy death by the exercise of prayer and penance, 
Pamphilius was seized in 307 and martyred by order 
of the governor of Palestine. 



. . . Generations of them came and went, 
Blessing a spot which was the haunt of peace. 

William Seton. 



Favorite Practice. 

A generous encouragement to the cause of Catholic lit- 
erature. 

175 



(3UNB 2. 

ST. POTHINUS, Martyr. 

NE of the first churches in Gaul was founded 
at Lyons in the first century by St. Pothinus. 
The body of Christians there began to grow 
so numerous and fervent that the pagans took alarm, 
and their jealous priests excited a tumult among the 
people. St. Pothinus was then more than ninety 
years of age, and was almost paralyzed in his limbs 
through age; but in order to answer the summons of 
the judges, he suddenly nerved himself to walk to 
the tribunal. On his way thither, being questioned 
mockingly by the multitude who surrounded him, the 
brave old martyr made such firm and heroic manifes- 
tation of his faith, that the rabble fell on him and so 
furiously maltreated him, that he expired in prison 
two days later. This was in the year 177. 



For Thee the}- slight the threats of foes, 
Their furious rage, and deadly blows ; 
The tearing- hook they scorn no less. 
Which cannot reach the soul's recess. 

Sa net or u m Merit is. 



Favorite Practice. 

To make efforts to master physical infirmity when 
the glory of God dejnands it. 
176 



ST, CLOTILDA, Queen. 



I 



iz'rz.t: ; :'z.t Ih_r:h Tha: h-umzle : 

: e: :ust ::' :z.r z z^i: 

. - ; J 

tian, and paved the way to that grace by her pra 

Lr. i z: : i txirr.z'.e A: :jze ca::le :: Tilzia: 

.5 "-is :r. :iie z :.r.: : left a: z.s :: •: : z 5 al: 

r: .- "Ac ::e. Ae kin* reieivtz. a. 
sudden inspiration and corresponded to it. *" God of 
Clotilda," he cried, " if Thoa givesl me the victory, I 
will become a Christian." Immediately the tide of 
:;:zt: ::. ::s :'-v:: ;_;.: IIitis — 3.5 :rue :: 
his word. The gentle queen, happy in the fulfilment 
of her dearest hopes, died at Tours in 543. 



Favorite Practice. 
To fulfil t)u true mission of the Christian woman. 

:-- 



c^UNE & 



ST. QUIRINUS, Bishop and Martyr. 

F5) ISHOP of Sisseg in Upper Pannonia, St. Quiri- 
nus was denounced for the faith in the year 
^9~^ 309. The governor of the province, before 
whom he was brought, tried to induce the bishop to 
sacrifice to the gods of the empire, and mockingly 
scorned the power of the God of the Christians. Quiri- 
nus calmly and nobly proclaimed the might of the 
King of kings, and almost immediately gave the 
governor and people a miraculous proof of it. For, 
having been cast into the Danube with a millstone 
about his neck, the martyr floated by the aid of the 
great stone on the surface of the water, and ad 
dressed sublime words to the astonished multitude on 
the banks. When the strange sermon was finished, 
Quirinus sank with the millstone under the waters. 



The tidal wave of deeper souls 
Into our inmost being rolls, 
And lifts us unawares, 
Out of all meaner cares 

Henry W. Longfellow. 



Favorite Practice. 

A daily invocation, "Infinite Power of God % support 
my weakness!" 

178 




<June £. 

ST. BONIFACE, Apostle of Germany. 

, BOUT the year 723, Pope Gregory II. sent 
this holy missionary to carry the light of the 
^->^~ Gospel into Germany. Having been made 
archbishop of Mayence, Boniface worked wonders of 
conversion throughout the Rhenish provinces. Amid 
his great labors and successes, the humble apostle 
manifested in a remarkable degree his devotion and 
submission to the Primacy of Peter. He seems to 
have been chosen to put in evidence the supremacy 
of that See over the whole Christian world. He was 
constantly recurring to Rome to ask for counsel, to 
renew or confirm the apostolic powers with which he 
had been invested. In the year 755 St. Boniface, to- 
gether with fifty-two of his neophytes whom he was 
about to confirm, was martyred in Friesland. 



That man to win one soul eternal bliss, 
Long leagues of wilderness, unwearying, trod; 
Sought not himself, nor kingdom cared to win, 
Save that the pure, alone, can enter in. 

Anon. 



Favorite Practice. 

To zealously uphold the supremacy of the Chair of 
Peter. 

179 



5UNE 6. 

ST, NORBERT, Bishop. 

1 T. NORBERT was a nobly-born courtier in at- 
tendance on the emperor Henry IV. of Ger- 
many. His life, for years, was given up to 
vain display and the excesses of worldly enjoyments. 
One day, as he was riding in the pursuit of his pleas- 
ures, he was struck by lightning, and left for dead 
upon the spot. But after a time, on coming to his 
senses, he reflected seriously on the state of his soul, 
and was then and there thoroughly converted to 
God. He became an austere penitent and eventually 
founded the Order of Premontre, wherein poverty, 
silence, fasting, labor, and prayer were observed. 
Many gentlemen who had been his worldly friends 
were drawn, by his good example, to join him in his 
monastery. In 1126 St. Norbert was created bishop 
of Magdeburg, and glorified God in that office by his 
virtues and austerities. He died in peace in 1134, 
being fifty-three years of age. 



So sleeps the soul till Thou, O Lord, 
Shalt deign to touch its lifeless chord ; 
Till waked by Thee, its breath shall rise 
In music worthy of the skies. 

Thomas Moore. 



Favorite Practice. 

Never to allow others to express doubts of the conver- 
sion of any sinner. 

180 



(June z. 



ST. PAUL, Bishop. 

^HE episcopate of St. Paul, patriarch of Con- 
stantinople, was one long succession of trials 
and stormy persecutions for the faith of that 
holy bishop. The malice and fury of the Arians were 
unceasingly manifested against him. He was driven 
into exile, first by the emperor Constantine, and 
twice in succession, at a later period, by the implaca- 
ble Constans. The last time he was banished to 
Cucuza, where the hatred of the Arians still pursued 
him, and their hired assassins strangled the venerable 
Paul in the prison to which he had been consigned. 
This was in the year 351; and the holy patriarch's 
death is justly considered a martyrdom, since he per- 
ished in defence of the faith, 



What nothing earthly gives, or can destroy, 
(The soul's calm sunshine and the heart-felt joy,) 
Is virtue's prize. 

Alexander Pope. 



Favorite Practice. 
To prepare cue's self to embrace exile, or even di 
r than sacrifice principle. 



(June a 

ST, MEDARD, Bishop and Confessor. 

J HIS holy prelate was bishop of Noyon and 
Tournay, and his zeal was exercised in most 
successfully rooting out the remains of pagan- 
ism in his two dioceses. He was so extremely good 
and gentle that his persuasive preaching won all 
hearts. It was he who instituted the "Feast of 
the Rose," a touching and beautiful celebration 
at Salency, at which, year after year, a sum of 
money and a crown of roses were given to the most 
virtuous and deserving maiden in that district. Dur- 
ing many centuries this custom caused great emula- 
tion among the modest young virgins of Salency, and 
so long as it remained a Christian festival was pro- 
ductive of the happiest results. St. Medard died in 
545- 



He preached the joys of heaven and pains of hell, 
And warned the sinner with becoming zeal, 
But on eternal mercy loved to dwell. 

John Dryden. 



Favorite Practice. 

To supply or increase the dowry of poor, deserving 
maidens. 

182 



ST. PELAGIA, Virgin and Martyr. 

JIT.N Antioch, in the year 311, some pagan soldiers 
jjf suddenly presented themselves to a young 
Christian virgin named Pelagia, and rudely 
summoned her to accompany them to the tribunal of 
persecution. Fearing that these fierce men were 
about to outrage her virtue, and prompted by an ex- 
ceptional inspiration from the Holy Ghost, the gen- 
tle girl (who was only about fifteen years of age) 
made an excuse to quit their presence for a moment. 
She climbed to the roof of the house, and trusting to 
the Power which had prompted the deed, she offered 
her life and her purity to the protection of God, and 
sprang from the height. God accepted the sacrifice, 
and the Church inscribed Pelagia in the number of 
her martyrs. Many churches were dedicated to her 
in remote times. 



'Midst lilies Thou dost love to be, 
Pure virgins round Thy throne we see, ■ 
O glorious Bridegroom, who dost bless 
Thy brides with endless happiness ! 

Jesu Corona Virginia, 



Favorite Practice. 

To prefer death to the commission of mortal sin. 

183 



(June 10. 



ST. MARGARET, Queen of Scotland. 

k T. MARGARET, Queen of Malcolm of Scot- 
land, was also the grand-niece of St. Edward, 
King of England. Eminently beautiful, noble, 
and virtuous, she acquired a wonderful ascendency 
over the heart of her royal consort, and aided him in 
establishing just and holy laws. She made him, by 
her influence, the father of the poor, the protector 
of religion, and the patron of science and letters. 
A Christian mother, she trained her children to 
piety with a prayerful solicitude and the force of her 
own heroic example. The news of the death of King 
Malcolm at the siege of Alnwick affected the devoted 
queen so grievously that she did not long survive her 
husband, but died in 1094. 



Life is a burden: bear it; 

Life is a duty: dare it; 

Life is a thorn-crown: wear it. 

Father Ryan. 



Favorite Practice. 

To rule as a noble queen over the kingdom of one's 
ow?i passions. 

184 



V 



(June n. 



ST. BARNABAS, Apostle. 

^^ T. BARNABAS was born in Cyprus, and was 
^J ordained and appointed apostle to the Gentiles 
by the great St. Paul. The name of Barna- 
bas signifies Comforter, and was given to him because 
of his tenderness and love for the poor. He became 
the companion of St. Paul, and travelled with him 
into many provinces preaching the gospel of Christ. 
At last, returning into Cyprus, St. Barnabas adorned 
his apostleship with the glorious crown of martyr- 
dom, a.d. 50. In the time of the emperor Nero the 
body of the martyr was revealed to the faithful by 
means of a vision; and along with the sacred re- 
mains was discovered the Gospel of St. Matthew in 
the handwriting of that evangelist. 



Man works in haste, for speed with him is might; 
In depth and silence God's great works are laid, 
As in foundation-stones, all dimly bright. 

Father Faber. 



Favorite Practice. 

To aid and encourage the Association for the Propa- 
gation of the Faith. 

185 



<3UNE 12. 






ST. ONOPHRIUS, Hermit. 

<^» 

N the third century a Christian named Onoph- 
rius, entered the monastery of Abage, near 
^^ Hermopolis, and was there trained to the 
spiritual life. Desiring to devote himself to an ere- 
mitical career of still greater seclusion and austerity, 
Onophrius, in time, withdrew into the desert of the 
Thebaid, and was there directed by another solitary to 
seek a more distant retreat where his solitude would 
be entire. The hermit did as he was advised, and 
came upon a spot in the wilderness where he abode 
for seventy years in prayer and penance. Once in the 
year, he received a visit from some one of the other 
adjacent hermits, and finally, on one of these occa- 
sions, Onophrius expired in the arms of the abbot 
Paphnucius, towards the fourth century of the Chris- 
tian era. 



Nights of anguish, days of labor, 
Then bright flashings of God's sun, 
Made Gethsemane and Thabor 
Blend their mountains into one. 

Cardinal Wiseman. 



Favorite Practice. 

A spirit of recollection, begotten of prayer and self 



denial. 

186 



gJUNE 13. 



ST. ANTHONY OF PADUA, Confessor. 

NTHONY OF PADUA belonged, in the out- 
set of his religious life, to the Order of 
Canons Regular; but inflamed with the de- 
sire of martyrdom, he entered the community of the 
Capuchins, hoping to be sent on a mission to Africa. 
But God had other designs over His servant. Whilst 
Anthony, in humble obedience to his superiors, was 
engaged in the lowliest functions of the Order, he 
was suddenly directed to appear and speak before 
a general assembly of Dominicans and Franciscans 
then convened in Italy. The admirable talent and 
great erudition of the humble monk were at once 
made known; and the mighty mission of St. An- 
thony forthwith began. His preaching, his miracles, 
soon wrought a total change in the large Italian 
cities, and especially in Padua. He became the glory 
of his Order, and died on the 13th of June, 1231. 



The plant set out by living fountains 
Grows fruitful, and its beauteous branches rise 
Forever towards the skies. 
From the Spanish of Lupercio Leonardo Argensola. 



Favorite Practice. 

To hide the gifts of God tinder a modest, unobtrusive 
exterior. 

187 



gJUNE 1& 



ST. BASIL THE GREAT, Bishop and Doctor. 

•J^- T. BASIL, bishop of Caesarea, maintained sin- 
y|^^ gle-handed the combat of the faith against the 
£^-7 emperor Valens, the strong partisan of Ari- 
anism. The praetorian-prefect, Modestus, by turns 
solicited and threatened the heroic prelate to yield to 
heresy; but Basil so set at naught the prefect's cajol- 
eries and threats, that Modestus was forced to con- 
fess to Valens, " We are conquered." The emperor, 
however, signed the sentence of Basil's exile; but, his 
son, the young prince, having been struck with sud- 
den illness, Valens sent for St. Basil, who cured the 
child by his prayers. There was no further question 
of exiling the holy bishop; and although the struggles 
of the heretics still continued, St. Basil died peacefully 
in his see in 379. 



So grant me, God, from ev'ry care, 

And stain of passion free, 
Aloft through Virtue's purer air 

To hold my course to Thee ! 
No sin to cloud, no lure to stay 

My soul as home she springs; 
Thy sunshine on her joyful way, 

Thy freedom in her wings ! 

Thomas Moore. 



Favorite Practice. 

To fight the good fight if you would win the crown, 

188 



c^UNE IS. 



SS. VITUS, MODESTUS, and CRESCENTIA, 

Martyrs. 

^^ T. VITUS was the son of noble Sicilian par- 
ents who were heathens; but the child having 
been committed to the care of a Christian 
nurse named Crescentia, she, together with her hus- 
band Modestus (who was also secretly a Christian), 
instructed the little Vitus in the faith and had him 
baptized. At twelve years of age the boy openly 
professed himself a Christian. His noble father was 
indignant, as was likewise the governor of the island, 
Valerian. Vitus was beaten and shut up in a dun- 
geon; and the persecutions of his father still continu- 
ing, the youth fled with his nurse and Modestus, and 
crossed the sea to Italy. But soon after their arrival, 
they were all three accused before the satellites of 
the emperor Diocletian, and received the crown of 
martyrdom. 



At His will and bountiful decree, 

From low, obscurest things, 
In everlasting- truth and harmony, 

Celestial beauty springs. 

Father Caswall. 



Favorite Practice. 

To secure the purest influences in the nurseries of 
young children. 

189 



<3UNE 16. 

ST. JOHN FRANCIS REGIS, Confessor. 

'TIT N 1616, at the age of eighteen years, John Francis 
jj^f Regis entered the Society of Jesus. Soon after 
^^ the completion of his novitiate he was assigned 
by his superiors to the work of the missions. Here 
his zeal was unbounded, and, aided by divine grace, 
he accomplished wonders. He especially directed 
his efforts to the instruction of the poor, the care and 
comfort of the sick, and the conversion of the most 
hardened sinners. His manner of preaching was sim- 
ple, modest, and humble. He loved to gather the 
children together by the sound of a bell, and teach 
them the catechism in the public squares. His life 
was shortened by his labors and austerities, and he 
died in 1640. in a state of holy rapture, declaring that 
Jesus and Mary were coming to meet him. It was 
at the tomb of St. John Francis Regis that the cele- 
brated Cure d'Ars received the miraculous aid which 
enabled him to complete his theological studies. 



Thus still I die, yet still I do revive, 
My living death by dying life is fed; 

Grace more than nature keeps my heart alive, 
Whose idle hopes and vain desires are dead. 

Rev. Father Southwell, S.J* 



Favorite Practice. 

To manifest a practical interest in the association 
of the Holy childhood. 

190 



c^UNE 17. 



SS. NICANDER and MARCIAN, Martyrs. 

fHESE two saints were Christian soldiers and 
comrades, fighting under the same standard. 
But when the persecution of the emperors 
Diocletian and Galerius began, they quitted the mili- 
tary service, either to avoid the sacrifices to the false 
gods, or to prepare themselves for the combat of the 
arena, and aid the confessors already exposed to tor- 
ture. They were both, eventually, denounced and 
brought before the governor, Maximius. Confessing 
the faith boldly, the Christian soldiers were subject- 
ed to varied and terrible torture, and were at last be- 
headed. Their wives accompanied them to the place 
of execution. The wife of Nicander nobly incited 
her husband to remain faithful to God, but the un- 
happy wife of Marcian sought in vain to turn him 
from his resolve by her tears and entreaties. The 
brave martyrs died together on the 17th of June, 302. 



A faithful friend I fain would find, 
To find him where he might be found; 

But now is this world wext so unkind 
That friendship is fall'n to the ground. 

Sister Juliana Berners {the ancient Prioress of Sopeijell 
Nunnery). 



Favorite Practice. 

At the demand of duty to deafen one's self to the 
pleadings of natural affection. 



<3UNE 18. 

ST. CALOGERIUS, Hermit. 

tHE name Calogerius, signifying "the good old 
man," was given to a holy hermit who, dur- 
ing the reign of Theodosius the Younger, 
in the first part of the fifth century, came from 
Constantinople to seek an asylum in Sicily. That 
island, as well as some of the adjacent isles, was 
then in the darkness of paganism, and many of the 
islanders were possessed by the devil. Calogerius 
had been promoted to the order of Exorcist, and the 
Sovereign Pontiff had given him full authority to use 
his powers. The pious hermit began a crusade 
against the pagan oracles and idols. He cast out dev- 
ils, and won over Sicily and the neighboring islands 
to the faith. His eloquent preaching worked won- 
ders, because the holiness of his life was manifest in 
the austerities he practised, and the gift of prayer 
with which he was endowed. 



The air he breathes, the ground he treads, the trees, 
The flowers, the grass, the sands, each wind that blows, 

All speak of God; throughout, one voice agrees, 
And eloquent His dread existence shows. 

From the Italian #/"Fra Giovanni Cotta, O.S.A. 



Favorite Practice. 

To reflect \ from time to time, that " the^e are de- 
mons that can go out by nothing save by prayer and 
fasting." 

792 



<3UNE 19. 

SS. GERVAISE and PROTASE, Martyrs. 

ITS. GERVAISE and PROTASE were twin- 
brothers, who suffered martyrdom together at 
Milan, during the persecution of Domitian. 
Their bodies were interred, and their memory 
seemed for the time to slumber. But three centuries 
later, when St. Ambrose, archbishop of Milan, found 
himself about to be driven from his See by the em- 
press Justina (the partisan of the Arians), he had a 
heavenly vision in which was revealed to him the 
spot where the twin-martyrs lay buried. The arch- 
bishop caused the sacred remains to be exhumed and 
exposed to the veneration of the faithful. So many 
miracles were wrought by contact with the relics, 
and devotion and faith were so strikingly increased, 
that the Arians no longer ventured to oppose St. Am- 
brose, and the cause of the martyrs triumphed. 



In the hands of God Almighty 

Doth the victory abide; 
And He will on him bestow it 

Who hath right upon his side. 

Cid Campeador. 



Favorite Practice. 

To confide in the infinite pozuer of God amid un- 
just persecutions. 

193 



(June 20. 



ST. FLORENCE, Virgin. 

^ T. FLORENCE was one of a family of saints, 
and was the daughter of Duke Severian of 
Carthagena, by his wife Theodora, during 
the reign of Justinian. Sts. Leander, Fulgentius, and 
Isidore, were her brothers; and her nephew was St. 
Hermingild, a sovereign prince of the Visigoths, St. 
Florence took the veil and became the spiritual mother 
of many religious women. Her brothers tenderly 
loved her, and Sts. Leander and Isidore both dedi- 
cated to her pious treatises which they had written 
on sacred subjects. St. Florence died about 633, 
being then superioress over nearly forty convents; 
and illustrious for her miracles. 



Dost thou remember how our mother . . . 

Blessed the maiden and her brothers, 

. . . And they smoothed her silver hair 
With tender prayer ? 
From the French of Francois Auguste Chateaubriand. 



Favorite Practice. 

To exalt and purify the sentiments of natural af- 
fection. 

194 



<June 21. 



ST. ALOYSIUS GONZAGA, Confessor. 



\5 



2» 



T. ALOYSIUS, or Louis Gonzaga,was the eldest 
^ son and heir of Ferdinand Gonzaga, Marquis 
of Castiglione. He was born in 1568. His 
saintly mother from his earliest infancy instilled 
into him the tenderest and noblest sentiments of 
piety, and her instructions bore such fruit that 
the youth never lost his baptismal innocence, and 
was styled by his dependents ''the little prince 
exempt from the weakness of the flesh." Desir- 
ing to consecrate his life entirely to God, he with 
difficulty obtained his father's consent to resign his 
heritage to a younger brother, and entered the So- 
ciety of Jesus before he was eighteen years old. He 
continued his studies for a few years, distinguished 
by his talents and angelic piety; but died in conse- 
quence of a fever caught in attending the sick during 
an epidemic in Rome in 1591. St. Aloysius is the es- 
pecial patron of young students. 



Oh, say not, precious children, 
" Such heights are not for us" ! 
He loved our Lord intensely. 
And our Lord is generous. 
Ere the light of grace auspicious 
In your tender souls grows dim, 
Come to Saint Aloysius 
And learn to love like him. 

From " Domus Dei." 

Favorite Practice. 

To carefully avoid every occasion which might en- 
danger the angelic virtue. 



3UNE 22. 



ST. PAULINUS, Bishop of Nola. 

^T. PAULINUS was born at Bordeaux in 353. 
He was the scion of a long line of noble sen- 
ators, and his father was prefect of Gaul. 
Taught by the famous Ausonius, Paulinus at the age of 
twenty-five, became himself a prefect and was united 
in marriage to a rich and illustrious Spanish lady 
named Teresa. Wealth and honors seemed lavished 
upon him, but suddenly a change came in the empire 
which stripped Paulinus of his dignities and left him 
comparatively poor. The husband and wife, being 
mutually impressed with the emptiness of all worldly 
goods, agreed to devote themselves thenceforth to a 
life of perfection. They sold their remaining pos- 
sessions and distributed the proceeds to the poor, to 
whose service Theresa dedicated herself. Paulinus 
embraced the religious state, and, later, became bishop 
of Nola. He died in 431 lamented by all, but espe- 
cially by the poor, to whom he had been a true father. 



Faith wings the soul beyond the sky 
Up to that better world on high 
For which we wait. 
From the Spanish of Jorge de Manrique. 



Favorite Practice. 

To convince yourself of the mutability of all earthly 
goods and honors. 

196 



(3UNE 23. 



ST. ETHELREDA, Queen. 

I T. ETHELREDA was the daughter of St. Hern- 
ia wyda and of the pious king Anna, of the East 
Angles. Three of her sisters, Sexburga, With- 
burga, and Ethelburga, were also canonized saints. 
Ethelreda was born in the county of Suffolk in Eng- 
land, and having been given in marriage, was left a 
widow after three years, which she had spent with 
her husband in holy continence. She retired to the 
island of Ely in order to devote herself to practices 
of piety, but Egfrid, king of the Northumbrians, 
begged her to become his royal consort. She yield- 
ed, on condition that her virginity might remain in- 
tact; and, after effecting great good in the world by 
her queenly example, Ethelreda withdrew again into 
retirement, and founded a nunnery on the island of 
Ely, where she died in 679. Eleven years afterwards, 
her body was discovered to be incorrupt, and many 
miracles were wrought by contact therewith. 



No holier sanctuary on earth has ever been 
Than, in a body chaste, a soul that's void of sin. 

From the German 4/" Rev. J. Scheffler. 



Favorite Practice. 

To reverence the purity which God Himself honors 
in the bodies of His virgins. 
197 



5une a& 



ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST. 

^TOW Elizabeth's full time of being delivered 
was come; and she brought forth a son. 
And her neighbors and kinsfolk heard 
that the Lord had showed His great mercy towards 
her; and they congratulated with her. And it came 
to pass that on the eighth day they came to circum- 
cise the child and they called him by his father's 
name, Zachary. And his mother answering said, 
Not so; but he shall be called John. And they 
said to her, There is none of thy kindred that is 
called by this name. And they made signs to his 
father how he would have him called. And demand- 
ing a table-book he wrote saying, John is his name. 
And they all wondered. And immediately his mouth 
was opened, and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, 
blessing God." — St. Luke i. 57-65. 



O Voice that by the Jordan cried 

(Keen, piercing as a two-edged sword), 

Assailing court and camp alike, 

" Make straight the pathway of the Lord !" 

O angel sent before His face, 

Beseech for us new light and grace! 

Eleanor C. Donnelly. 



Favorite Practice. 

An austere and prayerful detachment from the good 
things of this life. 

198 



<3UNE 21 



ST. PROSPERUS, Confessor. 

1 T. PROSPERUS of Aquitaine was one of the 
most illustrious disciples of St. Augustine, as 
well as one of the noblest intellects of his age. 
He was a voluminous writer in the cause of truth, and 
boldly and strenuously opposed in his compositions 
the errors of the Pelagians and Semi-Pelagians, giving 
no more quarter to the latter than to the former. He 
was loaded, in consequence, with persecution and cal- 
umny. He made a journey to Rome in order to defeat 
the machinations of these heretics, who appealed 
against him to the Sovereign Pontiff, and succeeded 
in establishing more firmly than ever his triumph as 
the buckler of faith. Prosperus died, as it is believed, 
about the year 465. 



Father of heaven ! if by Thy mercy's grace, 
A living branch I am of that true Vine 
Which speads o'er all, . . . 

So cleanse me that, abiding e'er with Thee, 
I feed me hourly with the heavenly dew, 
And with my failing tears refresh the root. 

From the Italian of VlTTORIA CoLONNA. 



Favorite Practice. 

To give no countenance to the insidious subtilties of 
heresy. 

199 



Sune m. 



SS. JOHN and PAUL, Martyrs. 

k N the brow of the Coelian Hill, and in a most 
striking situation, looking across to the ruins 
^4^ on the Palatine, stands the church of the two 
brothers, John and Paul, who were martyred about 
the year 362, and whose church has existed since 499. 
They were officers in the service of Constantia, and 
were put to death by Julian the Apostate. Their house 
stood upon the site of the church, one of the most 
beautiful spots in ancient Rome. In the thirteenth 
century some Dominican monks from Rome, built 
the famous Church of Sts. John and Paul at Venice; 
an edifice so magnificent that a distinguished archai- 
ologist declares " it can never be forgotten by those 
who have lingered around its wondrous and precious 
monuments." 



... So that a life 'mid war and tempest passed 
A peaceful port may find, and close at last 
On Jesu's breast. 

From Petrarch. 



Favorite Practice. 

To sanctify one's self in one's state of life, no matter 
how distracting its duties. 



gJUNE 2Z. 



ST. LADISLAUS King and Confessor. 

ijT^ .^ADISLAUS was elected king of Hungary in 
ijJSj 1080. He was a great and good monarch, 
^^ ' and manifested by his zeal for the accom- 
plishment of Christian works, that he well knew how 
to fulfil the high charge confided to him. He was a 
model of justice and courage, at the same time capti- 
vating all. by his simple and modest virtues. He 
annexed to his dominions Cracovia and Dalmatia; 
expelled the Huns, and conquered the Poles, Rus- 
sians, and Tartars. He died in 1095, just as he was 
inaugurating a great crusade against the infidels to 
wrest from them the possession of the Holy Land. 
Many miracles were wrought at his tomb. 



I would have my heart 
From littleness apart, 

A love-anointed thing- ; 
Be set above my kind, 
In my unfettered mind, 

A veritable king. 



Father Faber. 



Favorite Practice. 

A tender reverence for the holy places of Palestine. 



SUNS 28. 



ST. IREN/EUS, Bishop and Martyr. 

*HE disciple of Sts. Papias and Polycarp (who 
were themselves the disciples of St. John the 
Evangelist), St. Irenseus, earnestly sought to 
reproduce in himself the virtues and wisdom of his 
teachers. He was called to succeed St. Polthinus in 
the bishopric of Lyons, and there was enabled to dis- 
play the zeal and charity of St. John, and the courage 
and greatness of soul of St. Polycarp. He vigilantly 
but sweetly opposed heresy and upheld the faith and 
the unity of the Church, and by his letters and active 
interposition he succeeded in amicably adjusting a 
disagreement between Pope Victor and the bishops 
of Asia on the subject of the Paschal observance. 
St. Irenseus suffered martyrdom in the year 202. 



. . . His spirit's tone 
Doth waft the voices of Oblivion back, 
Waking the soul to lofty memories. 

Mrs. Elizabeth F. Ellet. 



Favorite Practice. 

As a peace-maker to U'uly aspire to be the child of God. 



(June 2d. 



ST. PETER, Apostle. 

SoJ ALLED to quit his humble avocation as a fish- 
"J\^/ erman, St. Peter was chosen by Christ to be 
the Head of His Church and the chief of 
His Apostles. On the eve of His cruel Passion, St. 
Peter loudly asseverated his resolve to be faithful to 
his Lord and Master though all others might desert 
Him. A few hours later, yielding to fear, he denied 
our Lord three several times. A look from the Mas- 
ter he had thus outraged and insulted pierced the 
heart of Peter to its very core. Henceforth he lived 
but to bewail that cruel falsehood; and his cheeks are 
said to have been furrowed into channels, because 
of his frequent and abundant tears. After the de- 
scent of the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost, St. 
Peter entered with admirable zeal upon his apostolic 
career. He preached in Judea, Asia Minor, and at 
Rome. In the latter city he established his See, and 
there suffered martyrdom by being crucified with his 
head downwards in the vear 66. 



A thousand times I sigh for Thee: 
O Jesu mine, when wilt Thou come ? 

O Jesu mine, most sweet to me, 
My panting spirit's hope and home, 

In quest of Thee, 'mid tears and cries, 

My famished soul relentless flies ! 

From the Latin of Saint Bernard. 



Favorite Practice. 

To zealously uphold the dog?na of the Infallibilty of 
the Vicar of Christ. 

203 



(5UNB 30. 



COMMEMORATION OF ST. PAUL, Apostle. 

/ \4^HIS great apostle of the Gentiles labored the 
■) j^ most for the propagation of the Gospel, suf- 

vl^~" ered in return the bitterest persecution, and 
received in consequence the sublimest revelations. 
He preached the faith in Judea, Samaria, Greece, 
Thrace, Macedonia, Asia Minor, Spain, Gaul, and 
Italy. He was frequently imprisoned, scourged and 
stoned, and was many times left for dead. In sublime 
communication with God, he was raised to the third 
heaven and admitted to a share in the eternal mys- 
teries. But in order that the greatness of his revela- 
tions might not fill him with pride, he was permitted 
to be tried by human weaknesses and humiliating 
temptations. St. Paul preached, with St. Peter, the 
Gospel at Rome, and there suffered martyrdom with 
him, being beheaded in the year 66. 



Lo, as the prophet heard 

Of old, I clearly hear 
From every burning bush God's word 

Outspoken to mine ear. 

Charles Warren Stoddard. 



Favorite Practice. 

To do what your hand finds to do with all your 
might, 

204 



Ixtttj. 



Flowers in her ta?igled hair, 
Pants the beautiful July : 
" Visitation Day is nigh, 

Mary 's happy journey share /" 

E. C. D. 



205 



5ULY 1. 



ST. THIBAULT, Hermit. 

fHE son of Count Arnold of Champagne, the 
young Thibault, through reading the lives of 
the anchorites of the Thebaid, became so 
enamored with the charms of solitude, penance, and 
prayer, that he stole away when a boy from his fath- 
er's house, and with a young friend named Walter 
went to hide himself in a wild retreat near Vicenza. 
They exchanged their rich robes for humble attire, 
and in their solitude supported themselves by the 
labor of their hands. Walter dying, the solitary 
Thibault so redoubled the fervor of his life that the 
fame of his sanctity got abroad, and the Count and 
Countess of Champagne finally succeeded in discover- 
ing their lost son. They came to visit him; and his 
mother, overcome with admiration at his angelic life, 
concluded to dwell near her son, thenceforth, in a 
little cell he built for her. St. Thibault was not long 
to enjoy the happiness of her society, for he died at 
the age of thirty-three years. 



Not where the wealth of the worldling abounded, 
But away in a wilderness, cheerless and drear. 

Thomas J. McGeoghegan. 



Favorite Practice. 

To entice children to bear the yoke from their youth; 
for " His yoke is easy and His burden light." 
207 



3ULY 2. 



THE VISITATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN 
MARY. 

ND Mary rising up in those days, went into 
the mountainous country with haste, into 
<^<ly^ : a city of Juda: and she entered into the 
house of Zachary, and saluted Elizabeth. And it 
came to pass, that, when Elizabeth heard the saluta- 
tion of Mary, the infant leaped in her womb; and 
Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: and she 
cried out with aloud voice, and said, Blessed art thou 
among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. 
And whence is this to me, that the mother of my 
lord should come to me ? For, behold, as soon as the 
voice of thy salutation sounded in my ears, the infant 
in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed art thou 
that hast believed: because those things shall be 
accomplished that were spoken to thee by the Lord." 
— St. Luke i. 39-46. 



Hear, O Mater Salvatoris I 

Hear our hymn to thee. 
Spread thy glittering- pinions o'er us — 
Scatter rays of love before us, 

From eternity ! 

Mrs. Anna H. Dorsey. 



Favorite Practice. 

An humble and affable attention to the needs of our 
inferiors. 

208 



<3ULY 3. 



ST. PHOCAS, Martyr. 

iT~"J\ URING the persecution of the emperor Dio- 
JJ - J cletian there lived at Sinope a Christian 
^^~> gardener named Phocas, who exercised a 
generous hospitality toward strangers from the pro- 
duce of his garden. The governor of the province, 
on receipt of the emperor's edict, sent two of his 
satellites to put the humble Phocas to death. The 
latter hospitably entertained these murderous visitors; 
and, as they were not personally acquainted with 
their host, they asked for information regarding the 
person they were seeking. Phocas gently bade them 
take their rest that night, and the next day they should 
be introduced to the victim. During the night he 
dug his own grave, and on the following morning 
he said quietly to them, "I am the man you seek; 
do with me what you will." They were so utterly 
bewildered at this heroic generosity that they hesi- 
tated, but finally beheaded him; and at his tomb, 
called that of Phocas the Good, great miracles were 
afterwards worked. 



The mariners, where roll the waves 

Of Egypt's dark blue sea, 
St. Phocas claim for patron saint. 

Elizabeth King. 



Favorite Practice. 

To bless them that curse you. 
209 



^ULY & 



ST. ULRICH, Bishop. 

,QT. ULRICH was bishop of Augsburg in the 
Y^^ tenth century. The Hungarians and Sclaves 
r<¥7 had devastated that town, just before the 
good bishop's installation. Having driven away the 
Christians and their clergy, they had burned the cathe- 
dral, laid the churches in ruins, and destroyed the 
monuments. St. Ulrich restored everything to a 
state of order, peace, and ecclesiastical discipline. 
He devoted himself to good works, and was the 
model of his people. In the discharge of his onerous 
duties having reached a great age, he appointed his 
nephew bishop in his stead, and retired to the abbey 
of St. Gall, intending to spend there the residue of 
his days. But he was forced by holy obedience to 
resume the charge of his See, where he died in 973, 
at the age of eighty. 



Gird your hearts with silent fortitude, 
Suffering, yet hoping all things. 

Mrs. Hemans. 



Favorite Practice. 

To adhere faithfully to the special vocation which 
God lias marked out for you. 



<3ULY ©. 



ST PETER OF LUXEMBOURG, Bishop, 

x\S? T. PETER was the boy-bishop of Metz, hav- 
y^J ing been appointed to that office in 1384 by 
*"^ Pope Clement VII., when he was not yet fif- 
teen years of age. His mind and character, how- 
ever, were maturely developed, and he had been 
carefully trained to virtue from his infancy. His 
brother being a prisoner of war at the court of Eng- 
land, the young prelate was sent thither as a hostage; 
but afterwards entering on his episcopal duties at 
Metz, he, in imitation of our Divine Lord, made his 
entry into his diocese, barefoot, and mounted on 
an ass. He was, thenceforth, a model to his people 
of humility, meekness, and merciful charity to sin- 
ners and the poor. The Pope created him 'cardinal 
at the age of seventeen; but St. Peter died when he 
was only eighteen, without having been consecrated. 



As a cherished flower grows more fair, 

And blooms each season with a sweeter breath. 

William Seton. 



Favorite Practice. 

To remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth. 



eJUIiY 6. 



ST. GOAR, Hermit. 

^ T. GOAR was a good priest who was born in 
Aquitaine about the year 585. He labored 
for years in the successful fulfilment of his 
sacerdotal duties, especially among pagans and 
heretics; and afterwards seeking a greater personal 
perfection, he withdrew to a hermitage in the 
diocese of Treves. The fame of his sanctity drew to 
his cell great numbers of sick and pilgrims, to whom 
St. Goar extended a generous hospitality, so that 
he was falsely accused to the bishop of Treves of 
having turned his hermitage into a hostelry, and of 
indulging himself and his guests in good cheer. St. 
Goar justified himself in all gentleness and humility; 
but the bishop demanded of him a miracle to prove 
his innocence. To establish the virtue of His ser- 
vant, God permitted a secret fault of the prelate's to 
be on the instant laid bare, to his great confusion. 
The holy hermit was afterwards offered the bishop- 
ric of Treves, which he declined to accept; and he 
died peacefully in 647. 



A quiet, patient heart that meekly serves its Lord, 
God's finger joys to touch: it is His harpsichord. 

A?igelus Silesius. 



Favorite Practice. 

To act with purity of intention, and God Himself 
will justify you?- actio?is. 



cSULY Z. 



ST. PANTENUS, Confessor. 

[ T. PANTENUS was a noble philosopher of the 
ancient Stoics who, having been converted to 
Christianity, was charged with the direction 
of a school of Christian philosophy at Alexandria 
instituted by the disciples of St. Mark. Whilst 
Pantenus was zealously fulfilling the duties of his 
office, the bishop of Alexandria deputed him to 
journey to the Indies, to combat the doctrines of the 
Brahmins, and to rekindle in that region the light of 
the faith. The holy missionary returned after some 
years, bringing with him a copy of St. Matthew's 
Gospel in Hebrew, which must have been taken to 
the Indies by St. Bartholomew. St. Pantenus died 
the death of the saints at Alexandria in the year 215. 



But an old age, serene and bright, 
And lovely as a Lapland night, 
Shall lead thee to thy grave. 

William Wordsworth. 



Favorite Practice. 

To sanctify one s life, as St. Pantenus taught, 
rather than to indulge in subtle controversies. 
213 



elULY 8. 



ST. ELIZABETH OF PORTUGAL, Queen. 

- V Q* T. ELIZABETH OF PORTUGAL was the gen- 
^^ tie grand-niece of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, 
*^ and, like that sweet princess, wore the Francis- 
can habit. She was the daughter of Peter III., king 
of Aragon, and was married young to Denis, king of 
Portugal. Her husband, % by a singular conjunction 
of characteristics, was a wise, just, and fortunate 
prince as regarded his subjects, but faithless, pro- 
fligate, and cruel in his conjugal and domestic rela- 
tions. The meekness and forbearance of his lovely 
wife, however, finally won the victory over the vices 
of the king, and he became a staid and sincere Chris- 
tian. At his death, St. Elizabeth desired to retire 
from her court and take the veil; but the poor 
would have been thus deprived of their mother, and 
for their sake this angel of piety and peace decided 
to remain in the world. She died in the year 1336. 
the victim of her charity, as her last illness was caused 
by the over-exertion of a long journey taken in 
order to prevent a civil war in the kingdom. 



Pure, meek, serene, 

Sweeter to her it was to serve, unseen, 

Her God, than reign a queen. 

Breziary . 



Favorite Practice. 

To cultivate a gentle tranquillity in all our words 
mid deeds, 

214 



ST. EPHREM, Hermit. 

1 T. EPHREM was one of the holiest and most 
illustrious doctors of the Syrian Church. He 
was born with an impetuous temper, which 
was the cause of his committing in his youth, before 
baptism, faults which he never ceased to bewail. By 
dint of courage and virtue^ however, he so complete- 
ly mastered his besetting infirmity that he was uni- 
versally styled " the peaceful man of God." St. Eph- 
rem dwelt in solitude and never quitted it save at the 
call of duty. He was the author of many learned 
and pious treatises; and was the contemporary of 
Sts. Gregory of Nyssa and Basil of Csesarea. His 
profound humility withheld him from being ordained 
a priest; and he died full of good works, at a very 
advanced age, about the year 378. 



Calm, deep, and still is now my heart 

With tranquil waters overflowed; 
A lake whose unseen fountains start 

Where once the hot volcano glowed. 

Henry W. Longfellow. 



Favorite Practice. 

Never dttring life to cease combating one's ruling 
passion. 

215 




3ULY 10. 



ST. FELICITAS AND HER SEVEN SONS, 
Martyrs. 

ROMAN matron named Felicitas had in- 
w- spired her seven sons with sentiments of 
the most exalted Christian virtue, and the 
example of her family caused the conversion of many 
unbelievers. The pagan priests denounced her to the 
emperor Antoninus, and Felicitas and her sons were 
cited to appear before the prefect. Threats and 
promises were alike made use of to shake the con- 
stancy of the young confessors and their heroic 
mother, but the latter incited her children to remain 
firm by the most eloquent and tender appeals. The 
youths were condemned to varied tortures, and mar- 
tyred at intervals before her eyes. Felicitas died 
with the last of her children in the year 164 of the 
Christian era. 



. . . And then, in new, strange guises of great light, 
In beauty making- tame life's loveliness, 

There shall you meet, there shall you re unite, 
When earth is past, and all its wretchedness. 

Hon. Ignatius Donnelly. 



Favorite Practice. 

To pray often that God may raise up saintly mothers 
hi these days of corruption and carelessness. 
216 



5ULY 11. 

ST. JAMES, Bishop of Nisiba. 

1 T. JAMES was living in the depths of a forest 
^) a life of solitary penance and prayer, when 
the inhabitants of Nisiba, well aware of his 
talents and high cultivation, as well as of his sanctity, 
drew him out of his retreat to constitute him their 
bishop. He devoted himself heart and soul to the 
duties of his episcopal charge, carrying with him to 
that high office his characteristic humility, zeal, and 
spirit of poverty. He wrought many remarkable 
miracles by the power of his prayers, among other 
wonders, delivering Constantinople from the heresi- 
arch, Arius; and twice preserving bis episcopal town, 
Nisibia, from the assaults of the Persians. St. James 
died in the odor of sanctity about the year 350. 



In solitude I am alone, 

Alone with God, whose power divine 
I feel as though His awful throne 

Were yonder mighty towering- pine. 
No wonder that my thoughts incline 

Mere earthly fancies to exclude, 
And revel in the truths that shine 

My soul upon in solitude. 

Rev. P. A. Treacy. 



Favorite Practice. 

To second your prayers by acts of humility and self- 
denial. 

217 



If 



(SULY 12. 

ST. JOHN GUALBERT, Abbot. 

^OHN GUALBERT was a gentleman of Florence 
in the eleventh century, who lived according 
to the maxims of a corrupt world. Once on 
a Good Friday, he came suddenly in a narrow defile 
upon a mortal enemy, whom he struck to the earth 
and was about to murder. But the fallen man be- 
sought mercy through the cross and passion of our 
Lord Jesus Christ, commemorated by the Church on 
that very day. Gualbert, moved with the pious emo- 
tions of divine grace, forgave his foe and suffered 
him to go unharmed upon his way. God rewarded 
the generous act most marvellously. St. John re- 
nounced the world and became a monk, and even- 
tually founded the Order of Vallombrosa, which was 
approved by the Pope in 1070. The holy abbot died 
in 1073. 



There in the cool dim stillness, on his knees, 

Trembling-, he flings himself, and startled sees, 

Set in the rock, a crucifix antique 

From which the wounded Christ bends down to speak : 

; ' Thou hast done well, Gualberto ; for My sake 

Thou didst forgive thine enemy; now take 

My gracious pardon for thy times of sin, 

And from this day a better life begin." 

From " Out of Sweet Solitude, ,'* 



Favorite Practice. 

Generous forgiveness of injuries. 



(3ULxY 13. 

ST. EUGENE, Bishop and Confessor* 

fN 4S1, St. Eugene was elected bishop of Carthage 
by the unanimous voice of the Catholics of that 
town and with the assent of Hunneric, king of 
the Vandals, although he and his people were uphold- 
ers of Arianism. The pious bishop was so filled with 
a spirit of glowing charity that his distribution of 
alms (which he gave abundantly) was without any 
distinction of persons or creeds; and thus he so won 
the hearts of the heretics that many of them returned 
to the true faith. But the Arian priests, being dis- 
quieted by these blessed results, raised a persecution 
of a terrible and pitiless nature against St. Eugene 
and his flock. But the latter were too numerous to 
be easily exterminated. The bishop was twice driven 
into exile, and was sentenced to penalties which the 
officers had not the heart to exact. The noble Con- 
fessor finally died in 505 at Albi, in Gaul, in a mon- 
astery which he had constructed. 



Help to all he did dispense, 

Gold, instruction, raiment, food; 
Like the gifts of Providence, 

To the evil and the good. 

James Montgomery. 



Favorite Practice, 

To love thy neighbor as thyself, even those who in- 
jure thee or differ from thee in religion. 
219 



gJULY 1$. 



ST. BONAVENTURE, Bishop and Doctor. 

T. BONAVENTURE became a Franciscan 
friar in 1243; and afterwards, by reason of his 
great sanctity and heavenly erudition, he 
was chosen Father-General of his Order. He was 
promoted to the bishopric of Albans by Gregory IX., 
and was made cardinal by the same Pontiff, and 
charged with the direction of the General Council of 
Lyons. Amid all these honors and dignities, St. 
Bonaventure preserved a singular spirit of humility. 
When he first learned that he was to be made bishop 
he fled away to France; and when the Pope's envoys 
brought to him the insignia of cardinal, they found 
him serving his brethren at table. On one occasion 
St. Thomas Aquinas asked him whence he drew so 
much eloquence and unction in his discourses; St. 
Bonaventure pointed to his crucifix and replied, 
" Behold the great book that teaches me everything!" 
He died at Lyons in 1271. 



Thy words had such a melting flow, 
And spake of Truth so sweetly well, 

They dropped like heaven's serenest snow, 
And all was brightness where they fell. 

Thomas Moore. 



Favorite Practice. 

To humble yourself if you would be truly exalted. 



c^ULY IS. 



ST. HENRY, Emperor and Confessor. 

"ENRY II. was anointed emperor of Ger- 
many on the 8th of July, 1002. His reign 
was disturbed by many incursions from 
neighboring foes. But, brave as pious, Henry upheld 
the rights of his people, conquered revolts among his 
own subjects, and subdued the Poles, Bohemians, and 
Moravians. He drove the Saracens from Italy, where 
they were outraging the peace of Christendom; and 
when days of peace dawned upon him, he journeyed 
through his dominions, repressing abuses, establish- 
ing justice, and protecting religion. He expelled all 
flatterers from his court, andshow r ed abundant favor 
to those who reproached him for any fault. He 
would have resigned his sceptre and retired from the 
w r orld, had not his spiritual adviser prevented him 
from so doing. The great emperor died at Halber- 
stadt on July 14, 1024. 



. . .Give unto the Church 

The lilies of monarchy, and God 

Himself will give you kings. 

Father Faber. 



Favorite Practice. 

To pray for peace and concord among Christian kings 
and princes. 

221 



^ULY 16. 



BLESSED VIRGIN MARY OF MOUNT CARMEL. 

f\ T thcyear 1265 the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared 
to St. Simon Stock, the sixth General of the Or- 
der of the Carmelites; and holding in her hand 
the form of a scapular, addressed him thus: "Re- 
ceive, beloved son, the scapular of thy Order; it 
is a mark of the privilege I have obtained for thee and 
all the children of Carmel. Whosoever dies whilst 
wearing this habit shall be preserved from eternal 
pains. It is a sign of salvation, a safeguard in dan- 
ger, and a pledge of peace and of eternal alliance. %> 
It is, then, piously believed that our Blessed Mother 
will obtain for all the wearers of her scapular of 
Mount Carmel the graces of sincere conversion and 
final perseverance. Many years after her apparition 
to St. Simon she made a revelation to Pope John 
XXII., to the end that she promised to assist the souls 
of the members of the Mount Carmel confraternity in 
Purgatory, and to effect their speedy release, espe- 
cially on the Saturday immediately after their death. 

Hail, thou Lady of the Mountain ! 

Rearing up its stately height: 
Emblematic of thy graces. 

Glowing- in immortal light. 
Mother of Mount Carmel, hear. 
Shades are falling, night is near. 

Eleanor C. Donnelly. 



Favorite Practice. 
To wear the scapular of Mount Carmel with devout 
and persevering reverence. 



(3ULY 17. 



ST. ALEXIS, Confessor. 

i T. ALEXIS was born at Rome in*35o of a 
2J^ noble and wealthy family, which was likewise 
adorned by the brightness of its Christian 
virtues. The young saint, being urged by his relatives 
to marry, fled away to Edessa to embrace a more 
perfect life, to which he felt himself attracted by divine 
inspiration; and he dwelt in that town in poverty and 
obscurity for seventeen years. His sanctity having 
attracted public notice, Alexis fled once more from 
the admiration which he excited; and the course of 
events leading him back to Rome, he went to his 
father's stately home, to crave an asylum as an un- 
known beggar. There, again for seventeen years, 
he led his favorite life of complete humiliation and 
self-abnegation; and it was only at his blessed death 
that the secret of his life was made known. 



Thy father's servants still to thee 

Gave alms in daily bread — 
Bride, father, mother, thou didst see 

Pass by thy lowly shed; 
And spake no word, and made no sign, 

But let earth's joys go by, 
To fix each hope and aim of thine 

On joys that never die. 

Ellen Downing. 



Favorite Practice. 

To deny one 's self innocent pleasures in satisfaction 
for past indulgence in unlawful ones. 
223 



(JULY 18. 

ST, SYMPHROSIA, Martyr. 

1TT^\ URING the persecution of Licinius, Getulus 
I'^tJ and Amantius his brother, both military 
^3^~> tribunes, were among the blessed martyrs. 
Getulus left a widow named Symphrosia, who, with 
her seven sons, trod in the footsteps of the brave 
Getulus, and trained her children to be all fervent 
Christians. The martyr's family having been de- 
nounced to the emperor Adrian, he required them to 
be summoned before the tribunal, and ordered them 
to sacrifice to the gods. They all boldly refused 
to deny Christ. Symphrosia was tortured cruelly, 
and then thrown into the Tiber, with a stone tied to 
her neck. Her brave sons, equally constant, were 
bound to stakes placed around the temple of Her- 
cules. Thus secured, their limbs were dislocated by 
means of cords and pulleys, and their torments finally 
ended by the sword 



Martyrs, too, when racked with pain, 
And tortured by the tyrant's chain, 
Have triumphed in that sweet refrain, 
Sursum Corda / 

Very Rev. John A. Rochford, O.P. 



Favorite Practice. 

Honor thy father and thy mother. 



<3UIiY 19. 



ST. VINCENT OF PAUL, Confessor. 

tHIS great apostle of charity was born in 
France in 1576, in the diocese of Dax, and 
was ordained to the priesthood in 1600. 
A chain of providential events led him to Paris, 
where his zeal effected the greatest wonders. He 
founded the Order of the Priests of the Mission, 
called Lazarists, and also established the Order of the 
Sisters of Charity, whose devotedness is well known 
through the whole world. He established missions 
and hospitals for the galley-slaves, besides founding 
the hospitals of La Pitie, Bicetre, the Salpetriere, the 
Foundlings, the Holy Name of Jesus, and that of 
St. Reine in Burgundy. He furnished supplies to 
whole provinces desolated by war and famine. The 
simple purity and single-hearted charity of St. Vin- 
cent made him beloved and reverenced by all. He 
died on September 27, 1660, and, after numerous 
miracles, was canonized in 1737. 



Oh! may St. Vincent's Brotherhood 

Follow the path he trod, 
And teach the young, and tend the sick, 

For love, pure love of God ! 

Anon. 



Favorite Practice. 

To further the interests of the Conferences of St. 
Vincent of Paul. 

225 



©JULY 20. 



ST. MARGARET, Virgin and Martyr. 

^T. MARGARET was the daughter of a pagan 
priest of Antioch in Pisidia, but, without the 
knowledge of her father, she was brought up 
a Christian by the nurse to whom she had been 
entrusted. When this fact was discovered, the maiden 
was fourteen years old, and so devoted to Christ that 
neither promises nor ill-treatment could induce her to 
deny Him. Her father himself denounced her to 
Olibrius, the governor of the province; but the latter 
was so captivated with Margaret's virgin beauty that 
he desired to marry her. The courageous maiden 
refused to break her vow of chastity or renounce her 
faith; and the governor, having exhausted every in- 
ducement and threat, caused her to be thrown into 
a dungeon. The devil, it is said, appeared to her 
there as a great winged dragon; but Margaret ban- 
ished him with the sign of the cross. She was after- 
wards scourged, racked, and burnt with red hot-irons, 
and finally beheaded in the year 275. 



Who thinketh on St. Margaret's maiden feet, 
Before whose steps the dragon drew aside, 
Where, pure of heart, she trod unterrified,— 

But findeth in his thought a solace sweet 

When hard beset him dragon-shapes of sin, — 

Struggles soul's purity alone can win. 

Anon. 



Favorite Practice. 

A lively faith in the efficacy of the Sign of the Cross. 
226 



^UliY 81. 

ST. PRAXEDES, Virgin. 

J[T was during the reign of Antoninus Pius and 
1 during the pontificate of Pius I. that there 
* lived in Rome St. Praxedes, the daughter of 
Pudens, the Roman senator, and sister to St. Puden- 
tiana. She edified the whole city by her virtues, and 
devoted her large property to the cause of religion 
and the poor. She ardently desired the crown of 
martyrdom, but not being permitted to win that glo- 
rious distinction, she aided by cheering words and 
generous alms the confessors and martyrs of Jesus 
Christ, and manifested in her life a remarkable 
spirit of prayer and mortification. She died in 
peace, and was buried beside her holy sister in the 
Salarian Way. The fame of her sanctity was so 
widespread that, from very remote times, one of the 
churches of Rome was dedicated under the title of 
St. Praxedes. 



... A sweet shape with dark brown hair. 

Half hidden in the gentle crowd ; 

Pale as a spirit, sharply slender, 

In maiden beauty's crescent splendor. 

George H. Miles. 



Favorite Practice. 

To remember that great riches must be sanctified by 
a spirit of generous almsgiving if the possessor would 
hope to be saved. 

227 



(3ULY 22. 



ST. MARY MAGDALEN, Penitent. 

^T. MARY MAGDALEN was the sister of 
Lazarus and of Martha, and belonged to the 
district of Magdala, on the shores of the Sea 
of Galilee. Magdalen led a life of luxury and sin. 
But in the height of her dissolute career, our Lord 
converted this remarkable woman, and cast out of 
her the seven devils who possessed her. Hence- 
forth she was devoted heart and soul to her Lord 
and Master. When He hung upon the cross in 
agony, Magdalen stood with the Blessed Mother and 
St. John at its foot, and, last at the cross, 4vas earliest 
at the tomb. To her the Risen Saviour first appeared, 
.and sent her to announce the happy tidings to St. 
Peter and the other apostles. After the ascension 
of Christ into heaven, St. Magdalen is said to have 
preached the Gospel in France; finally retiring to a 
wild spot between Marseilles and Toulon, where 
she lived and died in a cave called Sainte-Beaume. 



Thou that hast slept in Error's sleep, 

Oh, wouldst thou wake in heaven, 
Like Mary kneel, like Mary weep, 

Love much, and be forgiven ! 

Thomas Moore. 



Favorite Practice. 

To frequently repeat : ' ' The sins of ?ny youth ana 7 
my ignorance do not remember % Lord f 

228 



<3ULY 23. 

ST. APOLLINARUS, Bishop and Martyr. 

tT is related of St. Apollinarus that he accom- 
panied the apostle St. Peter from Antioch, and 
was for some time his companion and assis- 
tant at Rome. Later, St. Peter, having consecrated 
the holy man bishop, sent him to preach the Gospel 
on the eastern coast of Italy, at Ravenna. In that 
city Apollinarus preached with such success that he 
gathered together a large congregation, and per- 
formed miracles. He overcame the demons, and 
silenced, wherever he came, the voice of the false 
oracles. The heathens, filled with rage at all these 
wonders, cast the holy bishop into prison, whence 
his jailor assisted him to escape; but his enemies 
pursued him, and, having overtaken him outside the 
gates of Ravenna, they fell upon him and so beat 
and wounded him that when his disciples found 
him, soon afterwards, he expired in their arms. This 
was in the first century, and in the last year of the 
reign of the emperor Vespasian. 



And teach me how to kiss the rod of sorrow, 

And how to see the gain in every loss, 
And up the pathway, rugged, steep, and narrow. 
To bear my cross ! 

John Arthur Henry. 



Favorite Practice. 

To be prepared, when leading a godly life, to suffer 
persecution. 



SULY 2$. 



ST. LUPUS, Bishop. 

^ T. LUPUS, by reason of his sanctity and in 
spite of all opposition on his part, was raised 
in the fifth century to the bishopric of Troves. 
He accompanied St. Germain of Auxerre to England 
(in obedience to the direction of his superiors), in 
order to combat there the Pelagian heresy, and had 
the glory of entirely uprooting it. After his return 
to Troyes that city was threatened by an invasion 
from the notorious Attila, who had already with his 
Huns laid waste Thrace, Syria, and Greece, and a 
number of the principal towns of Gaul. During 
three days and nights St. Lupus and his flock re-, 
mained in prayer, and then the brave bishop went 
forth to meet the invader. " I am the scourge of 
God," said the king of the Huns, " and am come 
to destroy you." "Beware!" replied Lupus, "God 
crushes the instruments He has made use of." This 
bold reply so astonished and startled Attila that he 
turned his army aside, and marching to the plains of 
Mery, was defeated there. St. Lupus died in 478. 

Thou, Lord, who wilt not suffer that Thy glory 
They should usurp who in their might put trust — 

Or be permitted to oppress Thy just, 

Then, mocking, cry to heaven, " Within what place 

Abides the God of these ? where hideth He His face?" 

Fernando de Herrera. 



Favorite Practice. 

To lean in confidence on the arm of God, no ?natter 
how many or how powerful the evils that assault us. 
230 



«JULY 2£. 



ST. JAMES, the Apostle. 

1 T. JAMES THE GREAT was the brother of St. 
John the Evangelist. They were fishermen, 
called to quit all and follow Christ (their 
kinsman according to the flesh), who showered upon 
them many special favors. They were His compan- 
ions with St. Peter at His Transfiguration on Thabor 
and in His agony at Gethsemane. On account of the 
early impetuosity of their zeal our Lord styled them 
Boanerges, or the Sons of Thunder. After faithfully 
preaching the Gospel for the space of ten years, St. 
James was beheaded at Jerusalem by Herod Agrippa 
about the Feast of Easter, a.d. 42. He was the first 
of the apostles to suffer martyrdom. It was on the 
25th of July that his relics were translated to Com- 
postella in Spain; and he has become the patron 
saint of the Spanish nation. 



Lead me to Mercy's ever-flowing fountains ; 
For thou my shepherd, guard, and guide shalt be; 
I will obey thy voice, and wait to see 

Thy feet all beautiful upon the mountains. 

From the Spanish #/"Fra Lope de Vega, O.S.F. 



Favorite Practice. 

To sow good seed and water it faithfully, remembering 
that God alone can give the increase. 
23 i 



3uly m 



ST. ANNE, Mother of the Blessed Virgin. 

v$*^ T. ANNE, the mother of the ever-immaculate 
Virgin Mary, was the spouse of St. Joachim 
or Heli. They were already far advanced in 
years when God bestowed upon them that illustrious 
Daughter whom all generations were to call Blessed. 
From an early age they dedicated this cherished child 
to the service of the altar of the Lord. Tradition 
tells that St. Joachim died soon after the Presentation 
of the infant Mary in the Temple, but that St. Anne 
lived until her wonderful daughter was eleven years 
old. As the epitome of the Blessed Virgin's sanctity 
is given in those few words, " Mary, of whom was 
born Jesus," so the holiness of the spouse of Joachim 
may find expression in one brief but significant 
phrase, " Anne, of whom was born the Mother 
of God." 



And when, in the fulness of time, 
The queen without sceptre or crown 
Lay hid in the bosom of Joachim's spouse, 

How tenderly Heaven looked down 

On that poor little Syrian town ! 

From " Crowned with Stars." 



Favorite Practice. 

To ennoble lowly duties by great purity of intention. 



(July zz. 

ST. PANTALEON, Martyr. 

iT. PANTALEON was born of a Christian 
mother, who instilled into him her own pious 
sentiments. His father was a pagan, who 
set him an evil example; and Pantaleon being the 
physician of the emperor Galerius, the associations 
of a pagan court relaxed his fervor and weakened 
his Christian sentiments. A holy old man named 
Hermolaus, who had loved him from childhood, 
learning that Pantaleon had laid aside his Chris- 
tian observances and was connected with idola- 
ters, undertook to lead him back to God. After 
hesitating a long while the backslider was at last 
thoroughly converted. He became as fervent as he 
had been before lax; and having heroically endea- 
vored to make amends for the past by converting 
many persons (among whom was his own father), he 
strove to win the emperor himself to Christianity. 
He paid for the bold attempt with his life; for 
Galerius delivered him to the torturers, and he was 
beheaded in 303. 



Blot from my book of life its early stain! 
Since days misspent will never more return, 
My future path do Thou in mercy trace : 
So cause my soul with pious zeal to burn, 
That all the trust which in Thy name I place, 
Frail as I am, may not prove wholly vain. 

Pietro Bembo. 

* 

Favorite Practice. 

By the fervor of the present to make amends for the 
errors of the past. 

233 



(3ULY 28. 



ST. NAZARIUS and CELSUS, Martyrs 

T. NAZARIUS was the son of a Jew named 
African us; but his mother Perpetua was a 
Christian, and caused her son to be baptized 
by St. Peter. Nazarius grew up. under his mother's 
tuition, a fervent Christian. Accompanied by a young 
disciple named Celsus, he travelled through Cisal- 
pine Gaul, preaching the Gospel and converting 
many. They came to Genoa, where the people, being 
obstinate pagans, laid hold of them and flung them 
into the sea ; but the sea, more merciful, refused to 
drown them. After many wanderings, they came to 
Milan, where they comforted and encouraged the 
confessors and martyrs. Some short time afterwards, 
Xazarius and Celsus, in their turn, suffered together, 
and were beheaded outside the Porta Romana at 
Milan. 



What tongue can those rich gifts declare 
Which Christ for martyrs doth prepare ? 
Brows that in streams of blood were drowned 
Are with refulgent laurels crowned. 

Sanctorum meritis. 



Favorite Practice. 

To correspond carefully to the special graces of God. 
234 



^ULY 



ST. MARTHA, Virgin. 

v^T. MARTHA was the sister of St. Mary Mag- 
^J dalen and of St. Lazarus. She is said to 
have been an instrument of God in the con- 
version of her remarkable sister, having been the one 
to lead her first to the feet of Christ. St. Martha 
frequently had the glorious privilege of ministering 
to the wants of Jesus when He visited the house 
of Lazarus. It is on that account that she is con- 
sidered the special patroness of good house-keep- 
ing; being, as our Lord's own words would lead us 
to infer, a thrifty and solicitous care-taker of do- 
mestic affairs. According to a Provencal legend, 
St. Martha was the first after the Blessed Virgin to 
vow her virginity to God, and the first to found a 
monastery for women. And there, when she had 
passed many years in prayer and good works, feel- 
ing her end was near, she caused herself to be 
placed where she could gaze upon the sun shining 
in the sky, and commanded them to read to her the 
history of the Passion of Christ; and when they came 
to the words, " Father, into Thy hands I commend 
my spirit," St. Martha breathed her last. 



. . . One whose soul was filled 
With love of her Redeemer and the Cross. 

J. C. Curtin. 

♦ 

Favorite Practice. 

Not to be solicitous about many things \ but about the 
one thing necessary. 

235 



3uly 30. 

ST. GERMAIN, Bishop. 

*HE early youth and manhood of St. Germain, 
Duke of Auxerre, although that of an honor- 
able citizen, bore little appearance of Chris- 
tian virtue. Amator, bishop of Auxerre, frequently 
exhorted the duke to a more fervent life, and once 
abruptly prophesied to Germain that he would be his 
successor in the see of Auxerre. This event actually 
occurred soon after, on the death of Amator, when 
Germain, becoming bishop, began at once a career 
of zeal and mortified devotedness which (coupled 
with his intelligence) made him one of the ablest 
prelates of Gaul. It was he who accompanied St. 
Lupus, bishop of Troyes, to England, to destroy the 
Pelagian heresy there; and it was he, also, who sin- 
gled out the young St. Genevieve from the crowd in 
Paris, and gave that great saint to France and the 
Church. In 448 he was sent with full powers to the 
court of the emperor Valentinian, and died at Ra- 
venna. 



Time is indeed a precious boon, 
But with the boon a task is given: 
The heart must learn its duty well 
To man on earth and God in heaven. 

Miss Cook. 



Favorite Practice. 

If you have begun ill, strive at least to end welL 
236 



(JULY 31. 



ST. IGNATIUS LOYOLA, Founder of the Jesuits. 

'TIT GNATIUS of Loyola was a noble Spanish knight 
W whose life had been that of a worldling rather 
^^> than a Christian. Being in the military ser- 
vice, he was wounded at the siege of Pampeluna in 
1521. During his convalescence, he began to read 
certain volumes of the lives of the Saints, merely to 
while away the time; but the simple narratives ended 
by kindling in his soul a marvellous ardor for the 
cause of Christ. He promptly gave himself up to 
prayer and penance. He applied himself laboriously 
in the prime of manhood to a necessary course 
of studies; and accomplished a pilgrimage to the 
Holy Land. God gave to him great inspirations, 
and he corresponded to them bravely and gen- 
erously. In 1534, on the Feast of the Assumption, 
he made a vow, with nine companions, to devote 
himself to the salvation of souls, and to place himself 
at the disposal of the Pope. Thus was founded, in 
the church of Montmartre, at Paris, the renowned 
Society of Jesus, of which Ignatius became the first 
Rector-General. His motto and ruling principle was, 
Ad majorem Dei gloriam. He died July 31, 1556. 



Legions who bow at the throne of the King 

Echo that leader's name ! 
Blessed Ignatius ! e'en heaven shall sing 

Thy fitting- and endless fame. 

Harriet Skidmore. 

♦ 

Favorite Practice. 

To seek in all things the greater glory of God. 
237 



&UQ\XSt 



August sinking, flustid and fair, 

In the harvest-fields to rest : 

" Welcome /" {cries,) ' ' L'Assunta blest, — 
Queen of heaven ! hear our prayer." 

E. C. D. 



239 



August i. 



ST. PETER'S CHAINS. 

EROD AGRIPPA, having beheaded the 
apostle St. James, for the satisfaction of the 
Jews, caused St. Peter in turn to be cast into 
chains that he might torture him after the Paschal 
solemnity. In the interval, however, the Church of 
Jerusalem was praying for his deliverance night and 
day. On the very eve of Easter, whilst the great 
Apostle was sleeping in his chains between two 
soldiers, an angel appeared in the prison, and struck 
off his fetters. Throwing open the gates, and, lead- 
ing him to the public highway, the angel accompanied 
him a few steps, and then vanished. St. Peter, there- 
upon realizing that he was at liberty, went to knock at 
the door of the house where the faithful were assem- 
bled in prayer. This occurred in the year 43 of the 
Christian era. St. Peter's chains are still preserved 
at Rome, and reverenced as being among the most 
venerable memorials of the faith. 



The depth of the abyss may be 
The measure of the height of pain 
And love and glory that may raise 
This soul to God in after-days. 

Adelaide A. Procter. 



Favorite Practice. 

To beg St. Peter by his holy chains to obtain that 
our souls may be freed from the chains of sin. 
241 



pUGUSTn % 




ST. ALPHONSUS LIGUORI, Bishop and Con- 
fessor. 

LPHONSUS MARIA LIGUORI was born of 
v* the noble house of Liguori in Marinella, in the 
suburbs of Naples, September 27, 1696. His 
childhood was full of piety. Alphonsus practised 
for some time at the bar with great success, but, 
having once in an important cause, overlooked a 
flaw which rendered his argument unsound, the 
young lawyer was so chagrined that he withdrew 
entirely from the bar. Enlightened further by divine 
grace, he resolved to devote himself exclusively to 
God. He was ordained priest on December 27, 1726. 
He preached to immense congregations, and gave 
missions, which wrought innumerable conversions. 
In November, 1732, St. Alphonsus founded his reli- 
gious Order of the Redemptorists, and after govern- 
ing it for thirty years, was chosen bishop of Sant' 
Agata de' Goti. With deep reluctance Alphonsus 
accepted the dignity ; and it was more than thirteen 
years later that he received permission from the 
Pope to retire into one of the houses of his Order. 
Here he died, enamored of Jesus and Mary, on 
August 1, 1787. 

O happy in their soul's high solitude, 

Who commune thus with God, and not with earth \ 

Cardinal Newman. 



Favorite Practice. 

A daily visit to the Blessed Sacrament, a7id to the 
Blessed Virgin's altar. 



August 3. 



FINDING OF THE RELICS OF ST. STEPHEN, 

Proto martyr. 

"Tf?VT P to l ^ e Y ear 4*5 °f tne Christian era, the 
remains of St. Stephen, the Protomartyr, 
continued undiscovered and deprived of the 
veneration of the faithfuJ. But in that year, God, 
who delights to honor the bodies of His saints, per- 
mitted a priest named Lucian, living near Jerusalem, 
to enjoy three times a heavenly vision, in which St. 
Gamaliel (whom St. Paul called his first master) 
appeared to him, and pointed out a spot in the 
vicinity where the relics of St. Stephen were con- 
cealed. Lucian communicated this revelation to 
the Patriarch of Jerusalem; excavations were made 
at the spot indicated, and human bones discovered, 
whose authenticity was proven by the great miracles 
wrought through their agency. They were appor- 
tioned among several churches, and in every place 
similar miracles were wrought. The Fathers of the 
fifth century amply attest these facts. 



To thee, O gracious Lord, we fly, 
Beseeching- Thee with humble cry; 
That, on this martyr's triumph, we 
From sin may be absolved by Thee. 

Deus tuoriim mil it urn. 



Favorite Practice. 

In imitation of St. Stephen, to pray fervently for 
your enemies. 

243 



August & 



ST. DOMINIC, Confessor. 

* T. DOMINIC was born at Osma in the year 
1 170. The first efforts of his religious zeal 
were displayed against the heretical sect of 
the Albigenses in Languedoc. There it was that he 
founded the Order of Dominicans, specially charged 
with preaching in Christian countries, and also with 
the seeking out or inquisition of heretics, with the 
view of leading them back to God. The addition 
of torture, which was subsequently resorted to by 
the civil authorities against such as were obstinate, 
was in no wise the work of St. Dominic; the Church 
has never permitted any means to be employed 
more urgent than those of prayer and persuasion. 
To his zeal for the conversion of sinners and a 
great love for the poor, St. Dominic united an ex- 
traordinary devotion to the Blessed Virgin. It was 
he who instituted the holy Rosary in her honor, as 
well as the custom of saluting that blessed Mother 
at the beginning of the sermon. He died at Rome 
in 1221. 

When heresy swept o'er the land like a destroying flood, 

And tyrants washed their reeking hands in martyrs' holy blood, 

St. Dominic's children then, like men, embraced the stake, and 

stood 
Before the burning pile. 

Very Rev. Thos. N. Burke O.P. 



Favorite Practice. 

Devotion to the holy Rosary. 
244 



<£d 



August s. 

OUR LADY OF THE SNOWS. 

If N the fourth century, during the pontificate of 
*j|p Pope Liberius, the Blessed Virgin appeared to 
^^ a pious Christian of illustrious family in Rome, 
whose name was John, and directed him to build a 
church in a spot which she pointed out, signifying 
that, in proof of the reality of the revelation, snow 
would cover that site on the following night, which 
was the 5th of August. The church was founded, 
and bears the name of Our Lady of the Snows. It is 
known throughout Christendom as the church of St. 
Mary Major; and within its hallowed walls is pre- 
served the cradle wherein the Infant Jesus slumbered. 
Many illustrious pilgrims have journeyed to the spot 
from time to time to venerate this relic of the Holy 
Child, among whom may be mentioned the famous 
St. Terome. 



Pure as the snows, we say. Ah! never flake 

Fell through the brooding air 

One half as fair 
As Mary's soul was made for Christ's dear sake. 

Virgin immaculate ! 
The whitest whiteness of the Alpine snows, 
Beside thy stainless spirit, dusky grows. 

Eleanor C. Donneliy. 



Favorite Practice. 
A tender devotion to the Purity of the Blessed Virgin 
Mary. 



August 0. 




HE TRANSFIGURATION OF OUR LORD. 

XD after six days Jesus taketh unto Him 
Peter and James and John His brethren, 
and bringeth them up into a high moun- 
tain apart. And He was transfigured before them: 
and His face did shine as the sun, and His garments 
became white as snow. And behold, there appeared 
to them Moses and Elias talking with Him. Then 
Peter, answering, said to Jesus, Lord, it is good for 
us to be here: if Thou wilt, let us make here three 
tabernacles; one for Thee, and one for Moses, and one 
for Elias. And as he was yet speaking, behold, a 
bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a 
voice out of the cloud, saying, This is My beloved 
Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him. And 
the disciples, hearing, fell upon their face, and were 
very much afraid. — St. Matthew xvii. 1-6. 



. . . The Blessed Vision 
Of our Lord, with light Elysian 
Like a vesture wrapped about Him, 
Like a garment round Him thrown. 

Henry W. Longfellow. 



Favorite Practice. 

To repeat frequently, "Z shall not be satisfied till 

Thy glory shall appear.*' 

246 



August z. 



ST. CAJETAN, Confessor*. 

fT. CAJETAN, in 1524, founded in Italy the 
Order of Theatines, so called because its first 
superior was Peter Caraffa, archbishop oi 
Theata. It was a congregation of clerks regular, de- 
voted to preaching and the administration of the sac- 
raments. The life of its members was one of strict 
poverty. "To live the life of the poor without ever 
asking for any material aid," says a French biog- 
rapher of St. Cajetan and his community; " to edify 
the faithful by a modest exterior, solid piety, and 
pure doctrine, such was the aim of the institution, 
and such the pervading spirit of the rule." St. Caje- 
tan became the second superior of the Theatines, 
and died at Naples in 1547. 



My wishes are but few, 

All easy to fulfil ; 
I make the limits of my power 

The bounds unto my will. 

Rev. Robert Southwell, S.J. 



Favorite Practice. 

"Be thou an example of the faithful in word, in 
conversation, in charity, in faith, in chastity," 
247 



August 8. 

ST. HORMISDAS, Confessor. 

m^ARANNES V., king of Persia, about the be- 
x wr &i nnm g °f tne fifth century, was still contin- 
vjKsJ uing a persecution of the Christians which 
had been violently inaugurated by his deceased father, 
Jezdegirdes I. Hormisdas was one of the king's most 
prominent courtiers, and was denounced as a Chris- 
tian. The king in vain urged him to abandon the 
faith. Hormisdas was firm; and the angry monarch 
ordered him to be stripped of his rich attire and sent 
to tend the camels belonging to the court. Some time 
after, Varannes from the palace-windows beheld the 
brave confessor dressed in rags and exposed to the 
burning heat of the sun. He sent for him, and 
again tempted him with promises of favor to aposta- 
tize; but again the constancy of Hormisdas remained 
unshaken. The king enraged, drove him from his 
presence, and it is believed that he afterwards suf- 
ered martyrdom. 



The humble garb of wool about me bound, 

Formed to no fashion but a lowly vest ; 
The feet, which, naked, tread the stony ground, 

From worldly converse long- have closed my breast. 

From the Portuguese of Fra Agostinho da Cp.uz. 



Favorite Practice. 

To submit meekly to deprivation of this world *s goods 
sooner than offend God. 

248 



August 9. 



ST. ROMANUS, Martyr. 

* T. ROMANUS was one of the soldiers who was 
^ set to guard the glorious St. Lawrence during 
his imprisonment in Rome in the third cen- 
tury. Being a pagan, Romanus wondered at the 
supernatural joy manifested by St. Lawrence at the 
thought of his approaching martyrdom. Questioning 
his captive, and learning the source of such happiness, 
Romanus begged the holy confessor to instruct and 
baptize him; which was no sooner done than Ro- 
manus openly displayed his delight, and proclaimed 
himself boldly to be a Christian. He was at once 
handed over to the torturers, and after being tor- 
mented in divers ways, was finally beheaded the day 
before St. Lawrence had to appear before the tri- 
bunal, in the year 258. 



. . . Wonderful is that 
Splendor and brightness 
Which every one of things 
With splendor enlightens, 
And afterwards 
Entirely rules. 

From King Alfred's Metres of Bo'ethius. 



Favorite Practice. 

To endeavor to cultivate a cheerful exterior in suf- 
fering. 

249 



August 10. 



ST. LAWRENCE, Martyr. 

I T. LAWRENXE was the disciple and friend 
of Pope Sixtus, the martyr, and was the 
chief of the seven deacons of Rome. When 
the holy Pontiff was dragged to the place of tor- 
ture, Lawrence longed with tears to accompany him, 
but Sixtus cheered him and foretold to him that 
his turn would come three days later. And so it 
came to pass that the emperor, imagining the Chris- 
tians to have amassed a store of secret treasures, 
despatched the prefect of Rome with orders to take 
possession of them. St. Lawrence admitted that he 
and his brethren possessed those treasures, but beg- 
ged time to gather them together. And on the fol- 
lowing day, he showed the prefect all the orphans, 
all the old, poor, and infirm people, whom the Church 
regards as her treasures. The prefect was so enraged 
that he caused St. Lawrence to be lacerated with 
rods, and torn with iron hooks, and then roasted upon 
live coals. In the midst of the torture he cried out 
to the executioners with joy, " One side is sufficiently 
roasted; now turn me on the other side !" He 
expired, praying for Rome, on August 10, 258. 



Heaven-born, the soul a heavenward course must hold: 
Beyond the visible world she soars. 

From the Italian of Michael Angelo. 

Favorite Practice. 

To beg of God daily a share in the bur?ii?ig love of 
St. Lawrence. 

250 



August n. 



ST. TIBURTIUS, Martyr. 

^IBURTIUS was the son of the judge Chroma- 
tius, who became a Christian under curious 
ySr circumstances. In the discharge of his judi- 
cial office during the persecution of Diocletian, he 
was called to sentence to martyrdom St. Tranquil- 
linus, who told his judge that on receiving baptism 
he (Tranquiliinus) had been released from the pains 
of gout, from which he had previously suffered. 
Chromatius, being a sufferer from the same disease, 
caused himself to be instructed in the faith; and on 
being baptized he also rejoiced in a like cure. This 
miracle caused the conversion of his family. His 
son Tiburtius made such progress in Christian virtue 
that he was ordained sub-deacon; but while discharg- 
ing those holy functions, he w T as denounced and put 
to the torture He was then beheaded, three miles. 
from the city of Rome. 



Ah ! the tranquil shore of God's sweet calm grace, 
My heart, is thy only resting-place ■ 

Father A. J. Ryan. 



Favorite Practice. 

To reverence deeply the inestimable grace of baptism. 



AUGUST 12. 



ST. CLARA, Virgin. 

cY^LARA D'ASSISI was the eldest daughter of 
J^y Favorino and Ortolana Sciffo, who early 
^> ° devoted herself secretly to a religious life. 
As her great beauty, rank and wealth exposed her to 
continual temptations and offers of marriage, she 
sought council of St. Francis of Assisi. He advised 
her at once to renounce the world; and on the fol- 
lowing Palm-Sunday he gave her the habit in his 
chapel of the Porzioncula. Clara then sought refuge 
in the convent of San Paolo, whence her father and 
kinsmen sought to force her back into the world; but 
the brave young virgin clung to the altar and called 
on God for aid, so that they were constrained to 
leave her in her retreat. Her sister Agnes, her 
mother Ortolana, and other noble ladies of Assisi 
eventually joined her there: and so began the founda- 
tion of the Poor Clares. The rule was as austere as 
that of St. Francis, and the holy foundress renounced 
all claim to the great wealth which became hers on 
the death of her father. She died on August II, 
1255, illustrious for miracles. 



... A rarer grace, 
A thornier path, had led her to embrace 
A life of sacrifice — to pray, to plead. 
And win at a great cost a priceless meed. 

Lady Fullerton. 



Favorite Practice. 

To frequently ponder upon the Beatitude, "Blessed 
are the poor i?i spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of 
heaven." 

252 



August 13. 

ST. MAXIMUS, Martyr. 

ff N the seventh century of the Christian era the 
' tenets of Monotheism began to prevail at the 
* court of Heraclius, in which St. Maximus held 
an important office. To escape the atmosphere of 
heresy, Maximus withdrew to a monastery at Chry- 
sopolis, but, fearing persecution, he later retired 
into Africa. When Constans succeeded Heraclius, 
being likewise an ardent Monotheist, he deter- 
mined, if possible, to win over the holy and learned 
exile to that heresy. Maximus was, accordingly, 
arrested and brought to Constantinople, where his 
orthodoxy was tested in vain by the most violent 
temptations and the most cruel tortures. He was 
urged, at last, to merely allow it to be reported that, 
through respect to the emperor, he had given in his 
adherence. The brave confessor firmly declined. 
He was beaten with clubs, his tongue cut out, and his 
hand struck off. This was in the year 662; and he 
is believed to have died the same year in prison, at 
the age of eighty-two. 



. . . On his aged limbs slow-borne, 
In these last days that close his earthly course, 
He, in his soul's strong - purpose finds new force, 
Though weak with age, though by long travel worn. 

From the Italian of Petrarch. 



Favorite Practice. 

To confess Christ before meri without dissiiriulation. 
253 



flUGUST 1$. 



ST. EUSEBIUS, Martyr. 

^)|)c^ USEBIUS was a Christian priest of Syria, of 
JI^lj an extremely gentle but firm disposition. 
^^-^ Having been summoned for the faith be- 
fore the governor of Palestine, the latter was so 
moved with the meek but courageous speech of 
his prisoner that he did not venture to condemn 
him, but sent him to the emperor Maximian, who was 
then in Palestine. Maximian, in his turn, although 
he was of a brutal nature and had already been 
warned against the fascination exercised by Euse- 
bius, was so subdued by the sight of that vener- 
able face radiant with peace and happiness, and so 
overcome by the gentle tones of the confessor, 
that he found himself, also, unable to pass sentence, 
but sent Eusebius back again to the governor with 
the astounding injunction to judge the accused ac- 
cording to the rules of equity ! The governor, there- 
upon, like Pilate, sought to release him, but Eusebius 
desired too ardently the crown of martyrdom, and 
he was finally beheaded. 



The soul wherein God dwells (what church can holier be ?) 
Becomes a walking-tent of heavenly majesty. 

From the German of Rev. J. Scheffler. 



Favorite Practice. 

To disarm persecution by a meek and gentle deport- 
ment. 

254 



August is. 



THE ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN 
MARY. 

tHE holy and immaculate Virgin, Mother of 
God, died at Ephesus at an age not precisely- 
ascertained, but she is said to have survived 
the Ascension of Our Lord a number of years, being 
the counsel and refuge of the early Christians in all 
their doubts and necessities. According to the most 
generally received belief, she was deposited in the 
tomb ; but a pious and ancient tradition holds that, like 
her divine Son, she rose again from death on the 
third day, and was assumed, both body and soul, into 
heaven, leaving the place of her brief sepulture filled 
with odorous and beautiful flowers. This festival not 
only commemorates the Assumption of our Blessed 
Mother into the glories of Paradise, but also her tri- 
umphant Coronation there as Queen of heaven and 
earth, of angels and of men. 



Joy in the courts of Sion ! Bow, 
Saints, angels ! as on Mary's brow 
Gleams bright yon crown of dazzling sheen, 
And Heaven, exultant, greets its Queen. 

Rev. Matthew Russell, S.J. 



Favorite Practice. 

To beseech our blessed Mother by her holy death and 
assumption into heaven to obtain for us the precious 
grace of final perseverance. 
255 



August m. 



ST. HYACINTH, Confessor. 

[TJfft^HEN St. Dominic was at Rome in 1218, 
Ivo, bishop of Cracow and chancellor 
of Poland, arrived there on a mission 
to the Holy See. In his train were his two nephews, 
Hyacinth and Ceslas. Ivo, moved by the preaching 
of St. Dominic and the success which attended his 
mission, begged him to send some Dominicans to 
preach the Gospel in his distant and half-savage dio- 
cese. Dominic replied that all his missionaries were 
engaged elsewhere. Hyacinth, the eldest of Ivo's 
nephews, who was remarkable for his virtue and 
talents, felt within him the divine call. He and his 
cousin Ceslas offered themselves as missionaries 
to their native land; and both took the Dominican 
habit, and pronounced their vows at Rome the same 
year. 121S. For forty years St. Hyacinth preached 
the Gospel in the wild countries of the north; and at 
last, worn out with fatigue, he expired at his own 
monastery in Cracow, on August 15, 1257. 



For fadeless fame, for recompense eternal, 

He, ceaseless toiler, wrought ; 
Through wild and waste, safe led by Strength supernal, 

A worthy prize he sought. 

Harriet Skidmore. 



Favorite Practice. 

To seek zvhat voill be p?vji table not to yourself alone f 
but to many. 

256 



August 17. 



ST. MAMMESIUS, Martyr. 

I T. MAMMESIUS was a poor shepherd of Cap- 
^ padocia, who was called from his obscurity to 
obtain the glorious palm of martyrdom. In 
the year 274 of the Christian era, when the perse- 
cution of Aurelian was raging, this young Christian 
was denounced and condemned to be scourged to 
death. Although in tender youth, the faith and 
courage of Mammesius were worthy a stalwart sol- 
dier of Christ; and after enduring with unflinching 
patience the torture of the lash, the young shepherd 
expired under the cruel blows and went to receive 
the crown of life. Thus is the wisdom of God hid- 
den from the wise and great; but revealed unto the 
poor and humble. 



Sweet as the tender fragrance which survives 
When martyred flowers breathe out their little lives; 
Sweet as a song which once consoled our pain, 
But never will be sung to us again, 
Is thy remembrance: 

Longfellow. 



Favorite Practice. 

To reflect that no ??iatter how weak or lowly one may 
be, he can do, if faithful, a great work for Christ. 
257 



HUGUST 18. 



ST. HELEN, Mother of Constantine the Great. 

N his accession to the imperial throne. Con- 
stantine the Great declared himself in favor 
•>e^!>~ f Christianity. It was not. however, until 
after his miraculous victory over Maxentius that he 
actually embraced the faith and induced his mother 
Helen to do likewise. Helen was then far advanced 
in years, but the precious seed fell upon good soil, and 
the august princess set to work with inconceivable 
ardor. She was nearly eighty years old when she 
journeyed to the Holy Land, sought and discovered 
the Cross of our Redeemer; and there erected mon- 
uments worthy of God and the empire. She founded 
churches, monasteries, and hospitals, and lent aid 
to every enterprise favorable to the interests of 
religion. Humble as fervent, she mingled unob- 
trusively with the crowds assisting at the public 
services, and afforded a salutary example to all the 
faithful. St. Helen died in 32S, bequeathing to her 
imperial son the precious legacy of a mother's wise 
counsels. 



"When our souls shall leave this dwelling, 
The glory of one fair and virtuous action 
Is above all the 'scutcheons on our tomb, 
Or silken banners over us. 

James Shirley. 

_ + 

Favorite Practice. 

Devotion to the Passion and the Holy Cross of our 
Lord, 

258 



August 19. 

ST. LOUIS of TOULOUSE, Confessor, 

JT ., OL IS of Anjou was the son of Charles of 
I J *\j Anjou. king of Naples and Sicily, and the 
nephew of St. Louis, king of France. His 
mother, Maria of Hungary, watched over him from 
childhood and brought him up in habits of pious 
self-denial. When Louis was only fourteen his fa- 
ther was taken prisoner by the king of Aragon, and 
was obliged to deliver up his three sons with several 
of his nobles as hostages. Louis spent several years 
in captivity. The inhuman treatment he experienced 
in that life of solitude and exile so impressed the 
gentle spirit of the young prince that, on regain- 
ing his liberty in 1294. he yielded his right to 
the kingdom to his brother Robert, and became a 
Franciscan at the age of twenty-two. Soon after- 
wards. Pope Boniface created him bishop of Toulouse. 
He travelled to his diocese barefoot and in his relig- 
ious habit: and during his brief episcopate won the 
hearts of all by his many virtues. Having gone to 
Provence on a mission of charity, he died at the 
castle of Brignolles in his twenty-fourth year. 



Fame, honor, beauty, state, trains, blood, and birth, 
Are but the fading blossoms of the earth. 

Sir Kenelm Digby. 

♦ 

Favorite Practice. 

To endeavor, as St. Louis did, to draw spiritual 
profit from temporal evils. 

259 



AUGUST 20. 



ST. BERNARD, Abbot and Doctor. 

^T. BERNARD was born in ngo at a little vil- 
^p^ la-ge near Dijon. His father was a nobleman, 
and his mother, Alice, such an admirable 
woman that all the biographers of Bernard unite in 
giving her the credit of his early education. Her 
children in turn became remarkable men and women, 
but St. Bernard surpassed them all. He was not 
more than twenty when he entered the reformed 
Benedictine monastery of Citeaux, which he only 
quitted in obedience to his superiors, in order to 
found the renowned abbey of Clairvaux. In a few 
years the name of Bernard had become famous 
throughout Christendom. The arbiter of the sover- 
eigns of the world and of the Church, he was 
called to decide, as supreme judge, affairs of the 
highest moment. He conceived and inspired a 
Crusade to the Holy Land, and thousands of war- 
riors answered his call with the cry " God wills 
it !" He uprooted schisms and heresies, and glori- 
fied God and His Church by his solid virtues as well 
as by his successful labors. St. Bernard died in 1153. 



Through Christian souls Thy Passion-feasts 

Like stirring peals of victory thrill: 
Despised, rejected,— Man of grief, 

Yet our triumphant Leader still. 

Eliza Allen Starr. 



Favorite Practice. 

To first rule yourself if you would successfully rule 
or direct others, 

260 



August 21. 



ST. JANE FRANCES DE CHANTAL, Widow. 

kT. JANE FRANCES FREMIOT, in co-opera- 
tion with St. Francis de Sales, was the found- 
ress of the religious Order of the Visitation. 
Married in her youth to the Baron de Chantal, 
she made a secret vow that if ever she were left 
a widow she would consecrate her life to God 
in holy religion. Her husband died when she was 
about twenty-nine years of age; and for the ten suc- 
ceeding years she devoted herself to the training 
and settlement of her four children. Then, she re- 
nounced the world, and began, under St. Francis' 
direction, the foundation of the Visitation Order. 
In quitting her home for the convent, she was. obliged 
to step over the body of her son, who threw himself 
prostrate at the threshold. But although St. Jane 
burst into tears at the sight of her son's affliction, she 
pressed forward to her sacrifice. Before her death, 
Madame de Chantal was able to reckon seventy-five 
houses of her Order in France and Savoy. She died 
in 1641, and was canonized in 1769. 



Aim at high virtue; in thy soul destroy 
All but the sacred impulses that give 
Grace upon earth an angel's life to live. 
Seek for naught else: in this surrender lies 
Peace without end. 

Lady Fullerton. 



Favorite Practice. 

To carefully cultivate the gift of faith. 
261 



August 22. 



ST. SYMPHORIAN, Martyr, 

jfcTJ YMPHORIAX was a Christian of noble family 
r^*^ living at Autun in the second century. His 
e*^- virtuous parents had early instilled into him 
a hatred and contempt for the heathen idols; and 
on one occasion, when the inhabitants of Autun 
were celebrating a festival in honor of the goddess 
Cybele, bearing her statue in triumph upon a 
chariot, Symphorian mocked at the power of the god- 
dess and the folly of her worshippers. He was at 
once denounced to the governor Heraclius, who 
imprisoned him and threatened to kill him if he would 
not adore Cybele. The bold confessor scoffed at the 
piece of stone which the pagans called a divinity, and 
offered to crumble the statue into powder. Hera- 
clius ordered him to be scourged and conducted 
to the place of execution. On the road thither his 
holy mother met him, and exhorted him with sub- 
lime words to persevere to the end; and the worthy 
son of such a parent accomplished his sacrifice in 

the year 170. 

♦ 

Scorning" life, 
His settled soul refuses to retreat ; 
O glorious scene, where, in sublimest strife, 
High-minded Virtue and Affection meet ! 

From the Italian <?/*Torquato Tasso. 



Favorite Practice. 
One " Hail Mary" daily for the conversion of idol- 



aters. 

■262. 



August 23. 



ST. PHILIP BENITI, Confessor. 

v^JT. PHILIP BENITI was general of the Or- 
v^t^ der of Servites, or Servants of Mary. He 
r^ preached through all the prominent cities of 
Europe, and was so universally reverenced for his 
sanctity that, on the death of Pope Clement IV., 
the cardinals wished to elevate him to the Chair of 
St. Peter. But the humble Servite fled away to 
evade the dignity. Italy was then torn by the fac- 
tions of the Guelphs and Ghibellines. St. Philip 
devoted himself to reconciling the opposing parties 
and restoring peace to families. But his noble ef- 
forts were often met by the roughest usage on the 
part of his enemies. He was threatened, beaten, 
and dragged through the mud, his heavenly pa- 
tience enduring all so sweetly that his most in- 
veterate foes became his ardent admirers. One of 
them even came to throw himself at St. Philip's 
feet, craved his pardon, and afterwards, entering 
the Order of the Servites, died a most edifying 
death. The gentle Beniti himself passed to his 
reward in 1285. 



. . . And let us learn that man, 
Toiling, enduring, pleading- (calm, serene), 
For those who scorn and slight, is likest God. 

Mrs. M. J. Preston. 

+ 

Favorite Practice. 

To often repeat : "Patience hath a perfect work; 
that you may be perfect and entire, failing in nothing :" 
263 



August 2$. 



ST. BARTHOLOMEW, Apostle. 

^T. BARTHOLOMEW seems to be the same 
^ person known as " Nathaniel," who was led 
to our Lord by the apostle St. Philip, and of 
whom the Divine Lips said: " Behold an Israelite, 
indeed, in whom there is no guile." Bartholomew 
is a surname, and signifies Son of Tholmai. This 
holy apostle carried the light of the Gospel into 
Arabia, Persia, and the Indies. From India he pass- 
ed into Phrygia and Lycaonia in Greater Armenia, 
where, after converting innumerable souls to the 
faith, he was barbarously flayed alive by command 
of King Astirages, and then beheaded, A.D. 44. 



'Tis Thou who drawest me, my loving - Lord ! 
Mangled and nailed to a disgraceful tree, 
Thy wounded Body steals my heart from me, 
Thy death 'mid scoffings strikes its deepest chord. 

Cardinal Wiseman. 



Favorite Practice. 

To beseech God, through the intercession of St. Bar- 
tholomew, to grant you a pure and guileless heart. 
264 



AUGUST 2& 

US OF 

S^OUISIX.,king< 
iJ^ in 1215, and < 



ST. LOUIS OF FRANCE, Confessor. 

^- 9 

of France, was born at Poissy 

combined all the qualities of 
a hero, statesman, and saint. His devout 
mother, Blanche of Castile, from his infancy im- 
pressed upon him that it was better to incur death 
than commit one mortal sin, and even the infamous 
Voltaire bore this testimony to the character of St. 
Louis: " // 71 est guere donne a t homme de pousser la 
vertu plus loin." A monument of the holy king's 
charity and wisdom exists in his code of laws known 
as " the Ordinances of St. Louis," which became as 
dear to the French as the laws of Edward the Confes- 
sor were to the Anglo-Saxon race. His tenderness, 
truth, and generous consideration for the rights of 
others, made him the idol of his own nation and the 
umpire of all neighboring kings. His private char- 
acter was rendered inexpressibly beautiful by his 
fidelity to his wife, his obedience to his noble mother, 
and paternal love for his numerous offspring. He 
led two Crusades to the Holy Land; and died at 
Carthage in the year 1270. 



His pure baptismal robe of grace 
Unstained through life he wore: 
The lily-sceptre of the just 
King Louis brightly bore. 

Harriet Skidmore. 



Favorite Practice. 

To freqtiently implore God to grant to the kingdoms 
of the earth such rulers as St. Louis. 

265 



HUGUST 26. 

ST. ZEPHYRINUS, Pope and Martyr. 

tHE fifth persecution against the Christians was 
in progress when Pope Zephyrinus ascended 
tz/* the papal chair. He neglected nothing, and 
even exposed his own life, to uphold and cheer the 
confessors. The persecution only ceased at length 
to give place to the outbreak of numerous heresies. 
Eight heresiarchs put forth their false doctrines, and 
Tertullian fell into heresy and did not acknowledge 
his error. Natalis, who had generously confessed 
the faith, fell in like manner, but, touched by divine 
grace, cast himself in time at the feet of Pope Zephy- 
rinus, and humbly sought for reconciliation. The 
holy Pontiff received the strayed sheep, and continued 
in person to contend manfully against the upholders 
of heresy. He is believed to have suffered martyr- 
dom, his death taking place in the year 219. 



Reliant on God s aid, he rests 

His hand upon the helm, 
Guiding the Bark that foes surround 

But never overwhelm. 

Lady Fullerton. 



Favorite Practice. 

To say to yourself from time to ti??ie, " When cedars 
have fallen, how shall the frail reeds stand?'"' 
266 



flUGUST 27. 



ST. CESARiUS, Bishop. 

^C^T' CESARIUS was the archbishop of Aries in 
v^^ the sixth century. The gentleness of his char- 
ts acter found expression in his writings; and 
his piety established public ceremonies in his diocese 
which were admirably organized. His charity was 
so great that he even sold the sacred vessels of the 
Church in order to ransom captives whose souls were 
exposed to danger. Having been falsely accused of 
conspiring against the state, he was exiled from his 
diocese by Alaric and Theodoric successively; but 
both times the false charges were made to redound 
to the glory of the gentle bishop, and he was wel- 
comed back to his see with open arms, the last time 
loaded with the costly gifts of Theodoric, which Ce- 
sarius at once disposed of in order to give the pro- 
ceeds to his beloved poor. He died in 542. 



Far off he descries an Elysium blest, 
With gush of clear fountains, and music, and rest; 
Religion's blest teaching his spirit controls, 
And points all his hopes to the country of souls. 

Mrs. M. S. Whitaker.. 



Favorite Practice. 

By doing well to "put to silence the ignorance of 
foolish men" 

267 



August 28. 



ST. AUGUSTINE, Bishop and Doctor. 

UGUSTINE, the gifted son of St. Monica and 
the pagan Patricius, from his early years 
displayed a wonderful genius and thirst for 
knowledge. Having become entangled in his youth 
in the bonds of heresy and vice, he would have been 
lost but for the prayers and tears of his devoted 
mother. He was teaching at Milan when, the elo- 
quence of St. Ambrose attracted him to a Catholic 
church. For a long time he struggled between the 
violence of his passions and the force of divine 
grace; but having read a passage in St. Paul to 
which a heavenly voice directed him, the battle was 
at an end, and the prayer of St. Monica granted. He 
was baptized by St. Ambrose; and having returned 
to Hippo, his native town, he was made priest and, 
eventually, bishop and doctor of the Church. He 
died in 430 in such strict poverty that he made no 
will, having nothing left to bequeath. 



" Tolle lege! tolle lege/" 

(High and clear in sweet command,) 
" Tolle lege! tolle lege!" 1 

Sang an angel close at hand; 

" In thy darkness and thy need, 

Take and read, oh! take and read !" 

Eleanor C. Donnelly. 



Favorite Practice. 

" Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and mcke not 
provision for the flesh . " 

268 



August 



THE BEHEADING OF ST. JOHN BAPTIST. 



" Hlp-^OR Herod had apprehended John, and bound 
tjjnlr him, and put him in prison, because of 
«-*-*5t Herodias, his brother's wife. For John 
said to him, It is not lawful for thee to have her. 
And when he would have put him to death, he feared 
the people, because they esteemed him a prophet. 
But on Herod's birthday the daughter of Herodias 
danced before them, and pleased Herod. Whereupon 
he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever 
she would ask of him. But she, being instructed be- 
fore by her mother, said, Give me herein a dish the 
head of John the Baptist. And the king was struck 
sad: yet because of his oath, and for them that sat 
with him at table, he commanded it to be given her. 
And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison. And 
his head was brought in a dish, and it was given to 
the damsel: and she brought it to her mother." — St. 
Matthew xiv. 3-12. 



. . . Ah ! kneel before Him, meek and grave, 
And show the necklace Herod gave. 



That circlet round thy shining throat 

Is dearer to Him far than gold: 

And when thou say'st " Forgive them, Lord !" 

Thy voice shall stir Him, as of old. 

From " Domus Dei. ' 



Favorite Practice. 

To avoid rash vows or resolutions. 
269 



flltGUSCT 30. 



ST. ROSE OF LIMA, Virgin. 

tHIS first canonized female saint of the New 
World was born at Lima in Peru, in 1586, 
and was baptized Isabella; but because of the 
lovely roseate bloom upon her cheeks when an infant 
in the cradle, she was called by the name of Rose. 
A flower of sanctity whose fragrance has filled the 
whole Christian world, St. Rose is the patroness of 
America, the St. Theresa of transatlantic Spain. She 
was distinguished for the remarkable austerity of her 
innocent life. Her usual food was an herb, bitter as 
wormwood. When compelled by her mother to 
adorn her head with a wreath of roses, she so adjusted 
the chaplet on her brow that it was transformed into 
a crown of thorns. And, to render herself distasteful 
to the host of suitors who were attracted by her 
beauty, the spouse of Christ strove to disfigure the 
lovely complexion to which she owed her name. 
Rejecting all proposals of marriage, St. Rose main- 
tained by the labor of her hands her beloved parents, 
whom reverses of fortune had sadly reduced. She 
took the habit of the Third Order of St. Dominic, 

and died in 1617. 

♦ 

First flow'ret of the desert wild, 
Whose leaves the sweets of grace exhale, 

We greet thee, Lima's sainted child, 
Rose of America ! all hail ! 

Anon. 



Favorite Practice. 

To consistently prefer interior to exterior loveliness* 
270 



August si. 



\s 



ST. RAYMOND, Confessor. 

T. RAYMOND was a professed brother of the 
~-V} Order of Redemptorists or ''Mercy." He 
r^7 W as so singularly zealous for the salvation of 
souls, and animated with such a spirit of charity and 
prudence, that, whilst still young, his superiors sent 
him to Barbary in the difficult office of "redeemer." 
There he negotiated for the ransom of captives as long 
as his resources lasted; and when his means were at 
an end, he offered himself personally as a hostage for 
those whose salvation was in danger. In that posi- 
tion he preached publicly; but his zeal was rewarded 
by being scourged, dragged through the mud, and 
condemned to impalement. Finally, to check his. 
zealous tongue, the barbarians pierced his lips and 
put a padlock on his mouth. He spent eight months 
in this enforced silence and torture, until his superiors 
ransomed him. On his return to Europe the Pope 
created him a cardinal, and sent for him to come to 
Rome. But St. Raymond died on the journey thither, 
in 1240, at the early age of thirty-seven. 



To work is good enough, 

Still better is to pray; 
The best — to love thy God, 

And not a word to say. 

From the German of ANGELUS SlLESlUS. 



Favorite Practice. 

To preach the love of Christ by our silence as well as 
by our speech. 

271 • 



.feptemfre*. 



Beauteous babe, her arms, between, 
Sweet September seems to say, 
"Hither, haste, and homage pay 

To the little new-born Queen /" 

E. C. D. 



September i. 



ST. GILES, Abbot. 

I T. GILES was an Athenian of illustrious birth 
and great intellectual gifts who, in the fifth 
century, withdrew to a hermitage in one of 
the forests of Gaul, in order to escape the admiration 
and zealous attentions of his fellow-citizens. He sub- 
sisted on the roots and wild fruits of the forest, and 
for his drink varied the pure water of a brook with 
the milk of a hind, which was the sole companion of 
his solitude. On one occasion, the gentle animal, 
being pursued by hunters, fled to the feet of its pro- 
tector and thus betrayed the secret abode of St. 
Giles. The hermit, finding himself in a short time 
venerated by the surrounding population and their 
rulers, was obliged to listen to the appeals of the 
numerous disciples who gathered around him, and 
therefore established a monastery in the diocese of 
Nismes. There, in later years, the relics of St. Giles 
were preserved, and honored by general pilgrimages 
of the faithful, until the sacrilegious and destructive 
rage of the Calvinists constrained the monks to remove 
the sacred remains to Toulouse. 



I sowed the soil of peace. 

My bliss was in the spring ; 
And, day by day, the fruit I ate 

That Virtue's tree did bring. 

Rev. Robert Southwell. S.J. 



Favorite Practice. 

To be considerate for the needs of dumb animals. 
275 



September % 



ST. STEPHEN, King and Confessor. 

^ T. STEPHEN was the Vaivode of Hungary, 
^ and as he was a pious prince he did all in his 
power to complete the conversion of Hun- 
gary, a work inaugurated by his noble father. He 
often accompanied the missionaries whilst they were 
evangelizing the people, and when Christianity was 
at last solidly established, Stephen sent a monk to 
the Sovereign Pontiff to obtain full confirmation of 
what had been accomplished. The Pope, Sylvester 
II., not only gave his pontifical approval to the great 
work, but conferred on Stephen the title of King. 
The pious Vaivode accepted with the most reverential 
humility the dignity conferred upon him; and Hun- 
gary, being placed under the patronage of the Blessed 
Virgin, was civilized in due course of time, and be- 
came one of the most powerful nations of Europe. 
St. Stephen died in 1038, mourned by all as a brave 
and virtuous prince. 



Where blazed the sacred fire, rang- out the vesper-bell ; 
Where the fugitive found shelter became the hermit's cell ; 
And Hope hung out its symbol to the innocent and good, 
For the cross o'er the moss of the pointed summit stood. 
Denis Florence McCarthy. 



Favorite Practice. 

A noble zeal for the spiritual as well as te7nporal 
welfare of one's inferiors. 

276 



September 3. 



ST. SERAPIA, Martyr. 

|ORN in Antioch and possessed of fortune, the 
|^p) young virgin Serapia, having taken a vow of 
chastity, disposed of her property, distrib- 
uted the proceeds to the poor, and, quitting her native 
place, entered the service of a Roman lady named 
Sabina, whom she converted to the faith. During 
the persecution of Adrian, Serapia was denounced as 
a Christian, and was consigned to a house of ill-fame. 
But the Lord protected her purity and did battle for 
her. She was then thrown upon a burning pile to 
be consumed by fire; but the flames subsided around 
her, and left her unhurt. The prefect Berillus, almost 
despairing of destroying the gentle virgin, ordered 
her to be beheaded. Thus, at last, Serapia won her 
crown; and Sabina, having placed her holy remains 
in her own tomb, in a year's time obtained also, in 
her turn, the palm of martyrdom, and was interred 
beside her friend. 



. . . She softly speaks the while, 
And heaven's full glory pictures to my heart ; 
Beams of that heaven in her my eyes behold, 
And now, e'en now, in thought my wings unfold 
To soar with her and mingle with the blest. 
From the Italian 0/ Cardinal Cornelio Bentivoglio. 



Favorite Practice. 

To remember that the very -weakest grow strong when 
God nerves the soul in purity and faith. 
277 



September & 



ST. IDA, Widow= 

I T. IDA was formed to virtue by the example of 
St. Odilla and St. Gertrude, the sisters of 
Charlemagne. The latter cherished a high 
esteem for the friend of his sisters, and bestowed her 
hand in marriage on one of the most distinguished 
princes of his court. St. Ida and her husband passed 
some happy years together in a wedded union which 
was all the more perfect because their tastes for piety 
and good works were identical. Her noble spouse 
being taken from her by death, St. Ida became the 
edification of the imperial court by her fervor, charity, 
patience, and love of the poor. She strove earnestly 
to conform her life to that of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
Secretly she fasted and mortified herself; and having 
built a little oratory which she dedicated to the 
Mother of God, she was accustomed to retire thither 
unseen and remain prostrate praying before the 
image of the Holy Virgin. St. Ida died towards the 
year S40. 



Thus sorrow, touched by Thee, grows bright 

With more than rapture's ray ; 
As darkness shows us worlds of light 

We never saw by day ! 

Thomas Moore, 



Favorite Practice. 

To learn from St. Ida that o?ie may become a saint 

even amid the distractions of a court. 
278 



September g. 



ST. LAWRENCE JUSTINIAN, Bishop. 

I ORN at Venice, in 1380, of a noble family, St. 
Lawrence Justinian at the age of nineteen ' 
entered the Congregation of the Canons Regu- 
lar of St. George of Alga, and became distinguished 
in his community by his fervor, humility, and other 
virtues. After having, in consequence, t>een elected 
General of his Order in 1433, he was appointed bishop 
of Venice by Pope Eugenius IV. Here his sanctity 
shone forth in brilliant colors. He was accustomed 
to style the poor and unfortunate his "household," 
and therefore granted them an audience whenever 
they wished it. He deprived himself personally of all 
the accessories of his high position, and lived an aus- 
terely poor life, in order to amply supply the w T ants of 
his adopted family. He became the idol of his flock. 
He reformed all abuses in his diocese, and equalled, 
at last, even the Doge in authority. St. Lawrence 
died in 1455, illustrious for his miracles. 



Generous as brave, 
Affection, kindness, the sweet offices 
Of love and duty, were to him as needful 

As his daily bread. 

Samuel Rogers. 



Favorite Practice. 

To tend the poor lovingly for the sake of Hint whom 
they represent. 

279 



September e. 



ST. ELEUTHERIUS, Abbot. 

ELEUTHERIUS was the abbot of St. Mark's 
monastery, near Spoleto, in Italy. In reward 
for nis many virtues, he had been favored 
by God with the gift of miracles, and exercised great 
power over evil spirits. But as, of old, the disciples 
went to our Lord rejoicing that even the demons 
obeyed them; and as He, lest they should grow 
vainglorious, reminded them that He had seen Satan 
falling as lightning from heaven, so it was necessary 
that St. Eleutherius should be convinced that neither 
man nor angel hath any power for good save that 
which is given him from on high. One day when he 
had cast the devil out of a poor youth, the arch- 
enemy aroused in the holy abbot's breast an emotion 
of vainglory. He drew the attention of his monks 
to the cure of the boy. But the youth straightway 
became possessed afresh of the devil, and Eleuthe- 
rius saw the gravity of his fault. He prostrated 
himself humbly and confessed the sin, and, beg- 
ging his religious to join him in prayer, the demon 
again was driven from the boy. St. Eleutherius died 
about the year 585, after having wrought a miraculous 
cur in favor of St. Gregory the Great. 



When mine eyes have known the vision 
Of Thy strength, those choirs Elysian 
Hovering near, shall safety bring. 

Rev. James Kent Stone, C.P. 



Favorite Practice. 

To guard vigilantly against the inr&ads of vainglory. 



280 



September z. 



ST. CLOUD, Confessor. 

i T. CLOUD, or CLODOALD, was the only son 
^ of Clodomir, king of Orleans, the brothers 
of the young prince having been murdered by 
their uncle Clothaire in his guilty desire to become 
master of their possessions. Brought up in retire- 
ment, St. Cloud was so impressed with the nothing- 
ness of all earthly things, that, even when he reached 
the age to assert his claim to the throne, he declined 
to embrace the favorable opportunities of success 
which were offered to him. He renounced the world, 
and placed himself under the direction of St. Seve- 
rinus, then living as a recluse near Paris. Later, hav- 
ing been ordained priest, St. Cloud spent a few years 
in the exercise of his holy ministry; but again mas- 
tered by the charms of a secluded life, he withdrew to 
the spot which now bears his name, founded a monas- 
tery there, and died in the year 560, after having edi- 
fied all by a career of prayer, preaching, and good 
deeds. 



. . . All that's worth a wish — a thought, 
Fair Virtue gives unbribed, unbought. 
Cease then on trash thy hopes to bind; 
Let nobler views engage thy mind. 

Dr. Johnson. 



Favorite Practice. 

To reflect upon those words, " My kingdom is not of 
this world." 

281 



September a 

NATIVITY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY. 

"T^T^yTHEN the period assigned by the Divine 
^\/^fc) Mercy had come, the Second Person of the 
^d) Holy Trinity, the Divine Word, coequal 

with His Father, caused her to be born on earth who 
was to become His Mother. This babe of benedic- 
tion, the second Mother of mankind, the child of Jo- 
achim and Anna, saw the light in Judea, being of the 
illustrious family of David. By an exceptional privi- 
lege vouchsafed to her who was to become the Mother 
of God, Mary was conceived and born exempt from 
all sin, as she was always so to remain; therefore it 
is that the Church celebrates on this day her holy 
Nativity. The birthday of her who is the Daughter 
of the Eternal Father, the Mother of the Eternal 
Son, and the Spouse of the Divine Spirit, is only 
second to the natal feast of our Lord Jesus Christ. 



Oh, blest fore'er the Mother, 

And Virgin full of grace, 
Who bore our God, our Brother, 

The Saviour of our race ! 

Rev. Edward J. Sourin, S.J. 



Favorite Practice. 

To imitate the purity \ meekness \ and simplicity of the 
infant Mary. 

282 



September 9. 



ST. OMER, Bishop. 

JIT N 636 a monk in the monastery of Luxeuil in 



Gaul, named Omer, on account of his many- 



edifying virtues was drawn from his retire- 
ment and, much against his will, elevated to the 
bishopric of Therouanne. St. Omer devoted himself 
heroically to the duties of his high office. He estab- 
lished his diocese, trained his clergy, and founded 
churches and monasteries; and besides instructing 
the small number of Christians under his care, he 
zealously exerted himself to convert the infidels and 
to civilize a population corrupt with the leaven of 
pagan morality. In the midst of his labors for others, 
St. Omer ever kept in mind his own eternal salvation; 
and it was his custom, from time to time, to with- 
draw to his beloved monastery of Luxeuil, there to 
refresh and strengthen his soul with the invigorating 
cordial of mingled prayer and penance. The holy 
bishop died in 667. 



Prudence and piety adorned his life, 
Unstained with ill, and undisturbed by strife. 

Chaste, humble, meek, he kept, his heart, 
Till bid by Heaven from life depart. 

Iste Confessor. 



Favorite Practice. 

Not to permit our zealous care for the souls of others 
to distract us from the care of our own salvation. 
283 



September ic. 



ST. NICHOLAS OF TOLENTINE, Confessor. 

NE of the greatest saints of the Augustinian 
Order is St. Nicholas of Tolentino. This 
"--w' 1 servant of God was born about the year 1239 
in the little town of St. Angelo, near Fermo. His 
parents, having besought and obtained a son through 
the intercession of St. Nicholas of Myra, bestowed 
on him the name of that beneficent bishop. He was 
dedicated to God in infancy, and in very early youth 
assumed the habit of an Augustinian friar. His emi- 
nent sanctity would seem to have been foretold by a 
star of wonderful splendor which at his nativity is 
said to have shot through the heavens from St. 
Angelo, pausing over the city of Tolentino, where 
he afterwards fixed his residence. In his religious 
career St. Nicholas was distinguished by his fer- 
vent devotion and extraordinary austerities, so that 
it was remarked of him that "he did not live, but 
languished through life." He was also an eloquent 
preacher. After being favored with innumerable 
miracles, visions, and revelations, St. Nicholas died 
in 1309, and was canonized in 1446. 

. . . His fluttering pulses slowly cease 
To time the deeds that went his days to fill; 
And calmly, sweetly fades his life away, 
As fades the twilight of a cloudless day. 

Brother Azarias. 



Favorite Practice. 

To hide one 's little daily austerities under a sweet y 
affable exterior. 

284 



September n. 



ST. PAPHNUCIUS, Bishop. 

IT. PAPHNUCIUS was the disciple of St. An- 
thony and one of the holiest bishops of Upper 
Egypt. During the persecution of Maximinus, 
because he confessed the faith, he was grievously- 
wounded in the hand and ankle; his right eye was 
torn out; and he was condemned to labor in the 
mines. When Constantine the Great restored peace 
to the Church, Paphnucius reappeared in his dio- 
cese; and the glory of his recent sufferings for 
the faith, as well as his personal sanctity, attracted 
to him not only the homage of his flock, but that of 
the Fathers of the Council at Nicea. The emperor 
delighted in conversing with the holy bishop, and 
never parted from him without kissing respectfully 
the scars of those wounds which Paphnucius had en- 
dured for Christ. At the Council of Tyre, when a 
difference had arisen between St. Athanasius and 
Maximus, patriarch of Jerusalem, Paphnucius was so 
fortunate as to effect a reconciliation between those 
who had been calumniated bv the enemies of the faith. 



Thus he conducts, by holy paths and pleasant, 

Innocent souls, and sinful souls forgiven, 
Towards the bright palace where our God is present, 
Throned in high heaven. 

Cardinal Newman. 



Favorite Practice. 

To keep your soul in such holy peace that you may be 
able to communicate peace to others. 
285 



September 12. 



ST. SACERDOS, Bishop. 

(£± 

fN the sixth century, the see of Lyons being va- 
cant, St : Sacerdos, against his will and almost 
^~> by virtue of royal authority, was appointed to 
succeed St. Leo. The new prelate answered the 
general expectation formed respecting him by his 
personal virtues, by his great zeal for the sanctifica- 
tion of his flock and for the destruction of heresy. 
Childebert, the pious king of Paris, held him in pecu- 
liar esteem; and he was so beloved and venerated by 
his own people that, having died at Paris in or about 
the year 550, envoys were sent by the faithful of 
Lyons to bring back the remains of St. Sacerdos to 
his own see, so that they might preserve even in 
death the holy body of their departed pastor and 
bishop. Thus the honors w T hich that sainted prelate 
had shunned during life, pursued and crowned him 
in the tomb. 



. . . Dying to leave a memory like the breath 
Of summers full of sunshine and of showers, — 
A grief and gladness in the atmosphere. 

Henry W. Longfellow. 



Favorite Practice. 

To act in all things for the love of God, and He 
will make you , in your turn y beloved. 
286 



September 13. 



ST. AMATUS, Abbot. 

v^J T. AMATUS was a recluse who led an austere 
life in a cell belonging to the ancient monas- 
tery of Agaune. He was called from his re- 
tirement to be elevated to the bishopric of Sion in 
the Valais. Here he labored faithfully in the func- 
tions of his high office, and by his sanctity gave 
universal edification. But the weak Thierry III., 
influenced by corrupt and evil advisers, became the 
enemy of the holy Amatus, condemned him without 
appeal, and exiled him from his diocese. The meek 
bishop patiently bore this unjust treatment, and 
withdrew to a monastery, where he died a holy death 
in 690. Thierry, converted, no doubt, by the prayers 
of his gentle victim, discovered too late the wrong 
he had done the saintly man, and sought to repair 
the past by deeds of mercy. 



. . . Innocence shall make 
False accusation blush, and tyranny 
Tremble at patience. 

Shakspeare. 



Favorite Practice. 

Patiently endure wrongs\ and it may be that you will 
convert the sinner who inflicts them up oit you. 
287 



September i$. 




THE EXALTATION OF THE HOLY CROSS. 

UT^XHEN the emperor Constantine was waver- 
ing in mind between Christianity and 
idolatry, a luminous cross appeared to 
him in the heavens, bearing the inscription, "In 
this sign shalt thou conquer." He became a Chris- 
tian and was victorious over the enemies of the 
faith. A few years later, his mother, St. Helen, hav- 
ing discovered the true cross upon Mount Calvary, 
the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross was estab- 
lished in the Church; but it was at a later period still — 
when the emperor Heraclius achieved three wonder- 
ful victories over the Persian king Chosroes, who 
had possessed himself of the holy and precious relic 
— that this festival took a greater extension and was 
invested with a higher character of solemnity. The 
Feast of the Invention of the Holy Cross was there- 
upon instituted in memory of the discovery made 
by St. Helen, and that of the Exaltation to cele- 
brate the triumphs of Heraclius. This was in the 
year 629. 

O lovely Tree, whose branches wore 
The royal purple of His gore ! 
How glorious does thy body shine, 
Supporting members so divine ! 

Vexilla Regis. 

Favorite Practice. 

To make the sign of the cross in eveiy temptation and 



288 



September is. 



ST. ACHARD, Abbot. 

fHIS holy man was abbot of Jumieges. One of 
the great monastic retreats of the seventh cen- 
tury, this famous abbey reckoned nine hun- 
dred religious brethren within its walls, all under the 
administration of St. Achard. The discipline and fer- 
vor of this vast community were only equalled by the 
heavenly charity which animated its members; and 
when St. Achard lay upon his death bed about the 
year 687, he concluded his dying discourse to his 
monks with these beautiful words: "Vainly will you 
have borne the yoke of penitence and grown old in 
the austere practices of the cloister if you love not 
one another. Without such love martyrdom itself 
would not render you acceptable in the sight of God. 
Brotherly charity is the soul of all true religion." 



The soul that's truly blest knows not of selfishness: 
She is one light with God, with God one blessedness. 
From the German of Rev. Johannes Scheffler. 



Favorite Practice. 

To ponder from time to time the words, "Love is the 
fulfilment of the law." 

289 



September te. 



ST. CYPRIAN, Bishop and Martyr. 

(TT^ T. CYPRIAN was bishop of Carthage during 
the pontificate of the martyr-pope Cornelius, 
who was his friend. A great severity and 
zeal to preserve the utmost purity of the faith char- 
acterized the whole episcopal career of St. Cyprian. 
He reformed abuses unsparingly, and imposed pub- 
lic canonical penances on all who had given scandal 
by any compromise with idolatrous practices. Such 
were those who were known as holders of Libella, 
who, without being acknowledged as apostates from 
the faith, still managed to secure from the pagan 
magistrates certificates of paganism. But although 
thus severe in discipline and austere in his own 
exterior, St. Cyprian was filled with unbounded char- 
ity for the unfortunate. His labors for the faith 
were crowned with martyrdom in the year 258. 



. . . And sometimes, too, essayed a bolder sound 
To wake men's souls to nobleness, and found 
Each effort to my heart new guerdons bring-. 

Dr. Robert D. Joyce. 



Favorite Practice. 

To be severe with ourselves but wisely indulgent to 
others. 

290 



September 17. 




HE STIGMATA OF ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI. 

$ FTER ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI had obtain- 
ed from Pope Honorius the confirmation of the 
religious Order of the Frati Minori which he 
had established, he resigned his office of Superior and 
retired to a solitary cave on Monte Alverna. There 
he fasted for forty days, and passed the time in all 
the fervor of prayer and ecstatic contemplation, and 
at last, transported almost to heaven by the ardor of 
his desires, he beheld as it were a seraph with six 
shining wings bearing down upon him from above, 
and between his wings was the form of a Man cruci- 
fied. By this he understood to be figured a heavenly 
and immortal intelligence, subject to death and hu- 
miliation. And it was manifested to him that he was 
to be transformed into a resemblance to Christ, not 
by the martyrdom of the flesh, but by the might and 
fire of Divine love. When the vision had disappeared, 
and he had recovered a little from its effect, it was 
seen that in his hands, his feet, and side, St. Francis 
carried the wounds of our Saviour. 



. . . He, when near to die. 
Was given communion with the Crucified, — 
Such that the Master's very wounds were stamped 
Upon his flesh. 

Cardinal Newman. 



Favorite Practice. 

Devotion to the Five Wounds of our Blessed Lord. 
291 



ST. THOMAS OF VILLANOVA, Confessor. 

>OT. THOMAS OF VILLANOVA entered the 
^S Order of St. Augustine the very year that 
<^- Luther quitted it. He was most thoroughly 
penetrated with the religious spirit which that wretch- 
ed apostate had outraged, and he preserved all his 
life the poor garb of the Order and the spirit of holy 
poverty which he had there acquired. When he 
later, created archbishop of Valentia. he was some- 
times reproached for being clad and fed in a way 
which did not bent one of the wealthiest prelates of 
Spain, but his constant reply was. " My vow obliges 
me to it." And all that he thus economized was 
applied to the relief of the poor. Filled with a holy 
fear lest he might not discharge perfectly the duties 
of his responsible position. St. Thomas longed to be 
released from the charge of the episcopacy, when an 
angel appeared to him and revealed that God would 
bestow on him the reward of his labors on the Feast 
of Christmas. 1555 : and on that festival of our Lord's 
Nativity, true to the angel's words, St. Thomas of 
ViUanova slept the sleep of the just. 



Oh ! beckon hence my soul with pitying gesture. 

Thy peace to me were dear ; 
The heavy rain of tears is on my vesture. 
My heart is cold with fear. 

Rosa Mulholland. 



Favorite Practice. 
To beseech the Holy Ghost His gift of Fear 

of the Lord. 

292 



September 19. 



SS. JANUARIUS AND COMPANIONS, Martyrs. 

I T. JANUARIUS is the patron of Naples. He 
was the holy bishop of Benevento who, with 
two companions, suffered martyrdom in the 
year 305. It was during the persecution of Diocle- 
tian, and the three martyrs were cast to the lions in 
the amphitheatre; but those ravenous beasts rever- 
ently refused to touch their helpless prey, and the 
tyrant was forced to order the bishop and his com- 
panions to be beheaded. The holy relics of St. Jan- 
uarius have been preserved in Naples from remote 
ages; and their presence and exposure during times 
of peril, pestilence, and threatened destruction from 
the eruptions of Mount Vesuvius have frequently 
delivered that city from danger. At stated periods 
the blood of St. Januarius, preserved in a glass vial, 
becomes liquified at Naples in the presence of innu- 
merable pilgrims. 



From every eye He wipes the tear, 

All sighs and sorrows cease ; 
No more alternate Hope and Fear 

But everlasting Peace ! 

Mother Elizabeth Bayley Seton. 



Favorite Practice. 

To beg the protection of St. Jariuarius and his Com- 
panions against the wild beasts of our evil passions. 

293 



September 20. 



ST. EUSTACE AND COMPANIONS, Martyrs. 

>^^ T. EUSTACE was a Roman soldier and cap- 
Y^S tain of the guards under the emperor Trajan. 
z^s His name before his conversion was Placidus, 
and he had a beautiful wife and two sons. He lived 
in great magnificence and practised all the natural 
virtues, -even as a pagan, especially loyalty to his 
sovereign and charity to the poor. One day, whilst 
hunting, St. Eustace was converted to the faith by 
the apparition of a white stag bearing between its 
horns a radiant crucifix. A voice from the crucifix 
ioretold to him that he would have many tribula- 
tions and temptations to endure in the future. And 
so it came to pass that, after the baptism of himself 
and family, St. Eustace was deprived of his rich pos- 
sessions and separated for years from his wife and 
sons. Restored at last to his family and former dig- 
nities, St. Eustace and his wife and children refused 
to offer incense to the false gods at the command of 
the emperor Adrian, and remained steadfast in the 
faith. The emperor ordered them all to be shut up 
in a brazen bull and a fire kindled under it; and 
thus the noble family perished together. This was 

in a.d. 11S. 

♦ 

. . . Dying martyrs cried aloud, 
While the unfolding heaven above their head 
Disclosed the Beatific Vision ! 

Sir Aubrey de Vere. 

♦ 

Favorite Practice. 

To beware of " the care of this world and the deceit- 
fuluess of riches. " 

294 



September 21. 



ST. MATTHEW, Apostle. 

ND when Jesus passed on from thence, He 
saw a man sitting in the custom-house 
named Matthew: and He saith to him, Fol- 
low Me. And he rose up, and followed Him." From 
that first call from the Divine lips of the Redeemer, St. 
Matthew remained faithful to his Master untothe end. 
After the descent of the Holy Ghost upon the apostles, 
he was the evangelist chosen to announce the Gospel 
throughout Judea and Persia. He was the first to 
write the history of the apostolic life of our Saviour, 
and he gave his book the title of Gospel, or Good 
Tidings, an appellation borrowed from the words of 
Christ Himself, who called His doctrine " the good 
tidings." Whilst preaching those "good tidings" in 
Ethiopia St. Matthew, was slain at the altar as he 
celebrated the divine mysteries, a.d. 44. 



. . . Good tidings still we bring to all who still have ears to hear, 
To all who love His coming, the elect that cannot cease. 

Father Edmund, C.P. (Rev. B. D. Hill.) 



Favorite Practice. 

A prompt correspondence to the particular vocation re- 
vealed to us by God. 

295 



September 22. 



ST. MAURICE, Martyr. 

^ T. MAURICE, in the seventh Christian cen- 
^ tury, was the commander of the Theban le- 
gion, which was composed of Christian sol- 
diers. They were ordered to join the imperial army 
in Gaul, and destined for active service, but were first 
commanded by the emperor Maximian to sacrifice to 
the false gods. St. Maurice, on behalf of himself and 
his soldiers, made a noble and most sublime protest 
against this act of idolatry, declaring that he and his 
comrades were glad and willing to submit to the im- 
perial authority in all that was lawful, but that, in the 
question of sacrifice to the false gods, it was impos- 
sible to submit, and that they " would rather die inno- 
cent, than live guilty." Maximian, enraged, ordered 
a general massacre of the legion, and St. Maurice and 
his heroic followers perished in the year 628. 



Yes, there is a plenty there, 
Knights without reproach or fear; 
Such St. Denys, such St. George, 
Martin, Maurice, Theodore, 
And a hundred thousand more ; 
Guerdon gained and warfare o'er, 
By that Sea without a surge. 

Cardinal Newman. 



Favorite Practice. 

Never to permit the unlawful to supplant the fulfil- 
ment of our lawful duties. 

296 



September 23. 



ST. THECLA, Virgin. 

^ T. THECLA was converted to Christianity by 
^T*^ the great apostle St. Paul, and became so ena- 
mored with the sublime virtue of holy chas- 
tity that she bound herself by vow to belong to God 
alone. Being very gifted and attractive, her par- 
ents sought to force her into the marriage-state with 
one who ardently admired her. As she fled from his 
addresses her suitor followed her from place to place. 
Finally, exasperated by her continued refusal to 
marry him, he denounced her to the authorities as a 
Christian, an enemy of the gods and of the empire. 
Thecla was cast upon a burning pile, but a miraculous 
shower fell from heaven and extinguished the flames, 
so that she was left unhurt. Then she was thrown 
to the lions, but the beasts gently approached her, and 
licked her feet. Finally her persecutors bound her to 
two furious bulls, but again the wild animals acknow- 
ledged the sanctity of the virgin of Christ and, al- 
though fiercely goaded, refused to drag her through 
the arena. St. Thecla was then released, and withdrew 
to Seleucia, where she peacefully ended her life. 



She was all mildness, yet 'twas writ 

Upon her beauty legibly, 
He that's for heaven itself unfit, 

Let him not hope to merit me." 

Coventry Patmore. 



Favorite Practice. 

To love chastity, and the Lord will " clothe thee vuith 

His strength." 

297 



September 23. 



OUR LADY OF MERCY. 

*J[[.N the thirteenth century St. Peter Nolasco, tutor 
Jjlf to the young king James of Aragon, resided 
^^ with his royal pupil at Barcelona. The Moors 
were then possessed of a considerable part of Spain, 
and both there and in Africa held in cruel slavery a 
large number of Christians. Their faith and virtue 
were exposed to great danger, and their sufferings 
touched St. Peter's heart to the quick. He soon 
spent his entire estate in redeeming captives, and 
at last projected a religious Order to be devoted to 
that noble end. The design met with great opposi- 
tion, but the Blessed Virgin appeared on the same 
night to St. Peter and King James, as well as to their 
director, St. Raymund of Pennafort, and in dis- 
tinct visions encouraged them to prosecute the holy 
scheme under her patronage and protection. The 
new Order was, therefore, founded in 1223, under the 
title of " Our Lady of Mercy for the Redemption of 
Captives." 

In our souls, O Queen of Mercy, 

Every stain of sin destroy! 
Soothe the griefs of those who mourn, 

Morning Star of peace and joy ! 

Come, O come ! make haste to heal us; 

Sweet the peace thy power imparts, 
Come and pour the oil of gladness 

On our weak and wretched hearts. 

From the Latin 0/ the devout Blosius. 

Favorite Practice. 

To invoke our Lady of Mercy in behalf of all poor 
prisoners. 

298 



September as. 



ST. CEOLFRID, Abbot. 

^T. CECLFRID, or Cewfrey, was the abbot of 
St Paul's monastery at Jarrovv, and also of 
that of St. Peter in Wearmouth. He was re- 
markable for his great learning and piety, as well as 
for his submission to Rome in matters of church 
discipline. In both his monasteries he founded 
libraries which, considering the period (in the eighth 
century) were very extensive. The holy abbot 
trained up many scholars whose erudition glorified 
the Church, conspicuous among whom was the Ven- 
erable Bede. After a long life spent in instructing 
his disciples how to combine in their lives (in imita- 
tion of their master) both learning and sanctity, St. 
Ceolfrid, feeling his end draw near, resigned his 
charge, and, retiring into France, died at Langres 
on September 25, 716, at the age of seventy-four. 



Much it behoveth 
Each one of mortals, 
That his soul's journey 
In himself ponder: 
How deep it may be 
When Death cometh. 
From the Anglo-Saxon of King Alfred of England,. 



Favorite Practice. 

fo seek that " knowledge allied with piety" which, as. 
St. Paul says, fi compriseth everything" 
299 



September m. 



SS. CYPRIAN and JUSTINA, Martyrs. 

Y>S? ^' JUSTINA was a virgin of Antioch (in the 
v^S fourth century) and the daughter of a pagan 
^^ priest. She was converted to Christianity, 
and drew her idolatrous parents with her to the feet 
of Christ. As she was extremely lovely, Justina had 
many admirers; but one, a noble youth of Antioch, 
was so infatuated with her beauty and sweetness, 
that he strove to win her in marriage. But Justina 
refused him, having consecrated herself secretly to 
God. Then her noble lover had recourse for help 
to an astrologer and magician named Cyprian. But 
no sooner had Cyprian beheld the maiden than he 
became also deeply enamored of her, and all his 
power was exerted to tempt and torment the inno- 
cent girl. Strong in her chastity and in the power 
of God, however, Justina was victorious; so that 
Cyprian was converted to the faith and lived, thence- 
forth, a life of most austere piety. In the per- 
secution of Diocletian, Sts. Justina and Cyprian, 
after being first cast together into a caldron of boil- 
ing pitch (whence they miraculously escaped), were 
finally beheaded, a.d. 304. 

Such holy love inflamed her heart 
That she abhorr'd the poisoning dart 
Of worldly love, and bravely trod 
The narrow way that leads to God. 

Fortem virili pectore. 

Favorite Practice. 

To console yourself with the thought that no tempta- 
tion can defile the soul that does not consent to it. 
300 



September 27. 



SS. COSMAS and DAMIAN, Martyrs. 

tHESE holy brothers were physicians dwelling, 
in the third century, at Eges in Cilicia, and 
working wondrous cures on the bodies and 
souls of their numerous patients. They never took 
any fees for their medical services, so that their dis- 
interestedness and zeal drew upon them the notice of 
the civil authorities, and led to their arrest when the 
persecution of Diocletian broke out. By order of 
the governor of Cilicia, Sts. Cosmas and Damian 
were subjected to a variety of tortures, but, being 
miraculously rescued from both fire and flood, they 
were at length beheaded in 285. The Greeks styled 
them Anargyres, or without fees; and they are counted 
the patrons of medicine, and of the medical profes- 
sion. 



Learning - their holy lessons, 

May I keep them in my heart, 
And go forth bravely strengthened 

To fulfil my allotted part. 

Elizabeth Carmel Hendry. 



Favorite Practice. 

To contribute to the support of hospitals for the sick 
poor. 

301 



September 2a 



ST. WENCESLAUS, Martyr. 

T. WENCESLAUS, Duke of Bohemia, was the 
grandson of the noble St. Ludmilla, who, hav- 
ing been converted to the faith in the tenth 
century by St. Adelbert, preceded St. Wenceslaus 
in winning the crown of martyrdom. Ludmilla had 
carefully trained the young prince in Christianity; 
while, on the other hand, his pagan mother, Dra- 
homira, had brought up his brother, Boleslaus, in 
heathenism. Wenceslaus, as a consequence, was 
mild, merciful, and just; Boleslaus, fierce, false, and 
cruel. And each had his partisans among the people, 
so that Bohemia was divided between Christianity 
and paganism. Drahomira and her favorite son 
hired mercenaries who martyred Ludmilla whilst 
praying at the foot of her crucifix; and some years 
later, the unnatural mother having artfully entrapped 
St. Wenceslaus into paying her a visit, the holy 
prince was slain by his pagan brother before the al- 
tar where he was fervently worshipping his God, A.D. 

938. 

♦ 

O mystery divine ! could we 

But love like Wenceslaus, 
Like Wenceslaus, in our poor turn, 
These frozen hearts of ours might burn 

And melt in Thy dear cause. 

From " Legend of the Best-Beloved" 



Favorite Practice. 

To beseech God daily to grant you a tender and prac- 
tical devotion to the Blessed Sacrament of the altar. 



September 29. 



ST. MICHAEL, the Archangel. 

>(K? T. MICHAEL, whose name signifies " Who is 
^oN like unto God," and whom the prophet 
^"^ Daniel designates as "the Great Prince that 
standeth for the children of Thy people," is the first 
of the Seven Spirits who assist before the Throne 
in the presence of the Most High. It was he 
who defended the honor of the Incarnate Word 
against Lucifer and his rebel angels, and cast the 
celestial insurgents out of heaven into the infernal 
abyss, as is recorded in the sublime Revelations of 
St. John (Apoc. xii. 7-10.) Besides being captain of 
the heavenly host, and patron and prince of the 
Church Militant, St. Michael, according to the testi- 
mony of Sts. Augustine and Bonaventure, is the 
guardian of all dying Christians; and is specially 
invoked in prayers at the hour of death. The vir- 
tue particularly ascribed to him is a profound hu- 
mility whereby he overcame the inordinate pride of 

Satan. 

♦ 

Thou, chiefly, Archangel, whose strength was victorious 
Against the proud spirit that dared the Most High, 

From thy dwelling in heaven, all blissful and glorious, 
Cast down on each votary a fond, guarding eye. 

Anon. 



Favorite Practice. 

To repeat the ejaculation, " Blessed St. Michael, de- 
fend us in the day of battle, that we may not be lost at 
the dreadful Judgment" 

303 



September 30. 



ST. JEROME, Priest and Doctor. 

JEROME, the son of the rich Eusebius of Dal- 

Jr 

matia, was born at Stridonium about the year 
342. He finished his studies at Rome; be- 
came a successful lawyer there. Baptized when more 
than thirty years of age, he then vowed himself to 
perpetual celibacy. In 373, he travelled into the 
East; and, attracted to an eremitical life, he retired to 
a desert on the confines of Arabia, and there spent 
four years in study and seclusion. After ten years 
of temptation, trial, and penance, he returned to 
Rome, master of his passions, and of the difficult 
studies to which he had applied himself. His preach- 
ing at Rome was followed by most remarkable results. 
Numbers of noble ladies, among whom were St. Paula 
and Marcella, renounced the world, and devoted 
themselves to a religious life. At the end of three 
years St. Jerome journeyed to a monastery which 
he had founded at Bethlehem, where he died in 420, 
leaving, besides his famous translation of the Scrip- 
tures, numerous controversial writings, epistles, and 
commentaries. 



Alone amid the desert; and the soul, 
Like alone eagle struggling up in space, 

Feels the stern dread, and awiul vastness roll 
Swooped o'er its pinions. 

Hon. Ignatius Donnelly. 



Favorite Practice. 

To cultivate with St. Jero??ie a salutary fear of the 
Last Judgment. 

304 



©datef. 



— Floats thro' russet fields, once green , 
Brown October's plaintive plea, 
1 ' Lady of the Rosary ! 

Hear our Aves, Maid serene /" 

E. C. D. 



305 



October i. 



ST. REMIGIUS, Bishop. 

i T. REMIGIUS was bishop of Rheims, and was 
the intimate friend of King Clovis of France, 
even before that monarch became a Christian. 
The good bishop, in fact, had a great share in 
bringing about the king's conversion, and after his 
baptism Remigius strove to lead his royal disciple 
to the perfection of the duties of his state. "Be- 
come," said he to the king, "become the mainstay 
of your people; hasten to the aid of the oppressed, of 
widows and orphans; cause yourself to be feared 
and loved." His wise and fearless counsels were 
of incalculable value to Clovis, who endeavored to 
put into practice the prudent advice he received. 
The episcopate of St. Remigius extended over sev- 
enty years, during which he became in his eminent 
virtues a model of imitation to all his flock. He 
died in 533. 



... A man so learned, 
So full of equity, so noble, so notable; 
In the process of his life so innocent; 
In the manage of his office so incorrupt; 
In the passages of state so wise. 

Shakspeare. 



Favorite Practice. 

To make special prayer for the salvation of otir 



ntlers. 



October 2. 



THE HOLY GUARDIAN ANGELS, 

UR Divine Lord says in the Gospel, " Be- 
ware lest you scandalize any of these little 
t *<3fc2 rs ones, for their angels in heaven see the face 
of My Father." The existence of guardian angels 
is hence a dogma of the Christian faith, and the soul 
may draw unspeakable comfort from the belief that 
the Infinite Goodness, not content with all that It 
has done for us and our salvation, has deputed to 
each one of us an angel for his guide. God has 
indeed "given His angels charge over us, that they 
keep us in all our ways." They "bear us up in 
their hands," and lose not sight of us day or night. 
Let us be grateful, then, to these blessed guardians, 
and, as St. Bernard recommends, let us demonstrate 
respect for their presence, affection for their services, 
and confidence in their protection. 



Celestial guardian, thus with thee, 
And by thy constant care. 

May I the world's corruption flee, 
And heav'nly blessings share. 



Anon. 



Favorite Practice. 

To repeat twice daily, " O angel of God ! to whose 
holy care I am committed by the divine clemency, en- 
lighten, govern, a7id defend me this day (or night.)" 
308 



October 3. 




ST. DENYS Martyr. 

"HEN St. Paul the Apostle was preaching 
in Athens, he was brought before the 
Areopagus to give an account of his doc- 
trine. The great saint gladly embraced this op- 
portunity of setting forth, with admirable elo- 
quence and power, the eternal truths of the Gospel. 
Among his listeners was Denys or Dionysius, the 
Areopagite. Sojourning at Heliopolis on the day 
of our Lord's crucifixion, this remarkable man is said 
to have witnessed the mysterious and awful darkness 
which covered the earth for three hours, and on in- 
quiring the cause, later, had been moved to meditate 
continually thereon. Converted by the sermon of St. 
Paul, Denys was baptized and ordained priest by 
that apostle, and became the first bishop of Athens. 
It is a pious belief that he was present at the death 
and burial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and in the 
writings attributed to him is found a description 
of her beauty and loveliness, when he saw her, in 
a visit he made to Jerusalem. St. Denys sealed 
his faith by martyrdom, being burned alive at Athens. 



My life, O God, I give to Thee; 
My life — 'tis all I have to give, 
And, losing it, begin to live 
The life of immortality. 

Lady Wilde. 
♦ 

Favorite Practice. 

In the beauty of our daily lives to image forth the 
beauty of our blessed Mother. 
309 



October & 



ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI, Confessor. 

tHE father of this saint was Pietro Bernardone 
of Assisi, a rich merchant, whose business with 
France was very extensive. Regarding his 
eldest son, Giovanni as his successor in trade, Pietro 
had the boy taught French. At that period this was 
a rare accomplishment, and the little Giovanni was 
accordingly called by his companions Francesco, or 
the Frenchman; a name by which he continued to be 
designated during the rest of his life. His early 
years were passed in pursuit of pleasure; and it was 
not until he was in his twenty-fifth year that he 
actually renounced the world. After spending some 
years in prayer and penance, he founded in 1200 his 
Order of Friars Minor, known subsequently as the 
Capuchins. The piety of St. Francis was truly sera- 
phic, and was rewarded by God with the signal fa- 
vor of bearing in his body the sacred stigmata of 
Jesus Christ. St. Francis died in 1226, at the age of 

forty-five. 

♦ 

O saint whom thus we venerate 
In shadowy aisles, from heav'n look down 

On Umbria's hills, and impetrate 

Sweet peace to bless thy native town. 

From the Latin of His Holiness Pope Leo XIII.. 
by Prof. A. J. Stace. 



Favorite Practice. 

A special devotion to the holy poverty and Wounds 
of our Lord. 

310 



October g. 



ST. PLACIDUS AND COMPANIONS, Martyrs. 

>G^ T. PLACIDUS when but seven years old was 
v^^ entrusted to St. Benedict's care to be trained 
^^ in virtue and learning. He was already mak- 
ing great progress in the ways of holiness, when one 
day, while drawing water from the Lake of Subiaco, 
the boy fell into the water and was nearly drowned. 
St. Benedict, seeing the accident in spirit, sent one of 
his monks to the rescue, and Placidus was saved. 
Thenceforth he continued to advance in holiness; and 
eventually founded a monastery in the environs of 
Messina. A large number of religious gathered around 
him, and their retreat became the edification of all 
Sicily. When they had faithfully accomplished their 
work, in the year 546, St. Placidus and several of his 
companions received the crown of martyrdom at the 
hands of a band of pirates. 



. . . But who to these can turn 
And weigh them 'gainst a weeping world like this, 

Nor feel his spirit burn 

To grasp so sweet a bliss, 
And mourn that exile hard which here his portion is ? 
From the Spanish of Fr. Luis Ponce de Leon, O.S.A. 



Favorite Practice. 

To draw profit from all the accidents of life. 



October 6. 



ST. BRUNO, Confessor. 
<*± 

fN the eleventh century ignorance had generated 
laxity and immorality in France. Faith was 
rife enough in profession, but morality was not 
in acceptance. And so it came to pass that Bruno, 
canon and chancellor of the cathedral of Rheims, 
disgusted with the prevailing scandals he witnessed, 
formed with several of his friends a project for re- 
nouncing the world altogether. When he consulted 
about this purpose with Hugh, bishop of Grenoble, 
the latter pointed out to him as a suitable site for 
their pious retreat the rugged solitude of the Char- 
treuse, not far distant. They there constructed for 
themselves separate cells, and began to lead a life 
of austere poverty aud labor. Numerous compan- 
ions soon flocked around them, and even the great 
ones of the world were edified by the sight of their 
ascetic virtues. Thus was founded in 1084 one of 
the most edifying and rigorous Orders that has ever 
existed. St. Bruno died in 1101. 



Standing on what too long we bore 
With shoulders bent, and downcast eyes, 

We may discern, unseen before, 
A path to higher destinies. 

Henry W. Longfellow. 



Favorite Practice. 

To ponder sometimes that sentence of our divine Lord's^ 
Woe unto him through whom scandal cometh" 
312 



October z. 



ST. MARK, Pope and Confessor. 

^T. MARK only occupied the Chair of St. Peter 
i^ for the space of eight months and twenty days, 
but even in that short time he zealously ma- 
naged to apply large sums of money to the construc- 
tion of two churches. To adorn the house of God 
and to contribute to the splendor of His worship, 
were prompted in St. Mark by the same intention 
which led St. Magdalen to pour the spikenard on the 
feet of our Lord. All ancient writers laud his gen- 
erosity, and the solicitude he manifested to main- 
tain fervor amongst the faithful while the Church was 
at peace. Having been elected to succeed Pope 
St. Sylvester in 336, he died in the month of October 
of the same year. 



Celestial King ! Oh, let Thy presence pass 

Before my spirit, and an image fair 

Shall meet that look of mercy from on high, 

As the reflected image in a glass 

Doth meet the look of him who seeks it there, 

And owes its being to the gazer's eye. 

From the Spanish of F. de Aldana. 



Favorite Practice. 

To aid, as generously as your means will allow, in the 
erection of Catholic churches. 
313 



Og^obei^ 8. 



ST. BRJDGIT, Widow. 

^ T. BRIDGIT was a princess of the royal house 
of Sweden. When very young she heard a 
sermon upon the sacred Passion of our Re- 
deemer. The effects of this discourse, together with 
a vision of Jesus Christ covered with blood and 
wounds, with which she was also favored, exerted a 
salutary influence upon her whole after-life. Her 
noble heart was inflamed with the ardent desire to 
make amends to our Lord by her own loving fidelity 
for the universal ingratitude of mankind; and having 
been married at the age of sixteen, and left a widow 
with children in the course of a few years, St. Bridgit 
devoted herself thenceforth unreservedly to the per- 
fect service of God. She made devout pilgrimages 
to Rome and the tombs of the apostles, and even to 
the Holy Land, in company with her daughter, St. 
Catherine; and having founded and endowed various 
monasteries, and enjoyed many remarkable celestial 
revelations, St. Bridgit died in the Eternal City in 
1373, being then more than threescore years and ten. 



I thank Thee, Lord, that here our souls, 

Though amply blest, 
Can never find, although they seek, 

A perfect rest — 
Nor ever shall, until they lean 

On Jesus' breast ! 

Adelaide A. Procter. 



Favorite Practice. 

To impress upon young hearts a lively devotion to the 
Passion of our Lord. 

314 



Ogtobei^ 9. 



ST. DENYS, Bishop ana Martyr. 

HOWARDS the middle of the third century, Pope 
St. Fabian sent the renowned Denys (as well 
as the holy missionaries Rusticus and Eleu- 
therius) into Gaul, to carry thither the glorious light 
of the Gospel. They accordingly founded the churches 
of Chartres, Senlis, Meaux, Cologne, and, above all, 
that of Paris, whereof St. Denys became the first 
bishop. In the midst of his apostolic labors, how- 
ever, St. Denys and his companions were seized by 
the prefect Sisinnius Fescenninus, imprisoned, and, 
about the year 23o, put to death by decapitation. 
The bodies of the martyrs were then thrown into the 
Seine; but their faithful followers sought occasion to 
draw them thence, and the sacred remains were in- 
terred on the spot where the Basilica of St. Denys 
was afterwards erected. The blood of the martyrs is 
truly the seed of the Church; and the martyrdom of 
St. Denys and his brethren was speedily followed by 
the establishment of Christianity upon the ruins of 

Gallic paganism. 

♦ 

To suffer much 
Has been the fate of saints; 

Our fate is such 
Away, away all plaints ! 

Father Adrian Rouquette. 



Favorite Practice. 

To animate your courage hi suffering by the hope of 
the reward to come. 

3»5 



October 10. 



ST. FRANCIS BORGIA, Confessor. 



^jTj^RANCIS BORGIA, Duke of Gandia and gran- 
tjF^-lr dee of Spain, was one of the leading noble- 
r,t ^ men at the court of the Spanish emperor 
Charles V. When the beautiful young empress 
Isabella was snatched suddenly away by death, 
Borgia was deputed by his liege to accompany the 
corpse of the empress to Granada, and there, accord- 
ing to a formal ceremony, to verify the body as 
that of his imperial mistress. When the coffin 
was opened for that purpose, the ravages of de- 
composition in the once lovely face and form of 
Isabella were so shocking and repulsive to behold 
that Francis Borgia realized on the spot the emptiness 
of all human advantages and dignities. He made a 
secret vow, from that out, to occupy himself with eter- 
nal things and the great affair of salvation. His wife, 
the Duchess Eleanor, dying soon after, St. Francis 
entered the Society of Jesus; and having preached the 
Gospel in Castile, Andalusia, and Portugal, was 
chosen General of his Order, and died in 1572. 



Only the actions of the just 

Smell sweet and blossom in the dust. 

J. Shirley. 



Favorite Practice. 

Whenever you look tipon a corpse y say to yourself, 
lt What thou art now, I, one day, must be /" 
316 



October n. 



ST. TARACUS AND HIS COMPANIONS, Martyrs. 

tHE holy confessors Taracus, Probus, and An- 
dronicus were denounced as Christians to 
Numerian, governor of Cilicia, and were 
arrested at Pompeiopolis in the year 304. They were 
examined and most cruelly tortured successively at 
Tharsis, Mopsuesta, and Anazarbis, and finally, being 
unshaken in their constancy, were exposed in the 
amphitheatre by the orders of Numerian. But the 
most ferocious beasts being let loose against the 
courageous trio refused to do them any harm, and 
came crouching to their feet, to lick the wounds which 
the previous torture had inflicted on the martyrs. 
The judge at length commanded the heroic men to be 
despatched by the gladiators. 



Where words are weak and foes encountering strong, 
Where mightier do assault than do defend, 

The feebler part puts up enforced wrong 
And silent sees what speech could not amend; 

Yet higher powers must think, though they repine, 

When sun is set the little stars will shine. 

Rev. Robert Southwell, S.J. 



Favorite Practice. 

To repeat often during the day, " O my good God, 
I would sooner die than offend Thee mortally ! " 
317 



October 12. 



ST. WILFRID, Bishop and Confessor. 

|ORN in England in the seventh century, and 
destined for an exalted station, the noble 
Wilfrid left all for Christ, and fled from 
the court of the kings of Northumberland to con- 
secrate himself entirely to the service of God. Hav- 
ing received holy orders whilst abroad, he returned 
to England and was created archbishop of York. 
The heresy of Pelagius was then prevailing in his 
archdiocese; and the great mass of the nobility were 
leading lives of lamentable disorder. The purity of 
St. Wilfrid's faith and morals being a manifest 
reproach to these wretched men, his efforts to estab- 
lish discipline won for him many enemies. The holy 
archbishop was repeatedly banished from his see, 
imprisoned, and stripped of all that he possessed. 
But his exile, on each occasion, afforded St. Wil- 
frid a fresh opportunity for preaching the Gos- 
pel to new and willing hearers. After working, in 
this way, many conversions in Friesland and Mercia, 
the saint peacefully expired in the year 709. 



. . . The night is gone, 
And with the morn those angels faces smile 
Which I have loved long since, and lost awhile. 

Cardinal Newman. 



Favorite Practice. 

To make such judicious use of tke wrongs inflicted 
on you that tkey may serve to promote tke glory of God 
and tke salvatio?i of souls. 

318 



October is. 



ST. EDWARD, King and Confessor. 

i T. EDWARD, king of England, was the son of 
jps) King Ethelred by his second wife, Emma. He 
was a prince of unusual wisdom and grandeur 
of soul. He established a wisely planned code which 
still forms the groundwork of public law in England; 
and his administration was characterized by such cour- 
age, justice, and sweet benevolence, that, whilst his 
enemies feared him, his subjects loved him as a father. 
" Providence, " says the Abbe Lecanu, "seemed to 
have singled him out to repair the disasters resulting 
from forty years of invasion, and to restore his coun- 
try." He founded the famous abbey of Westminster; 
and being upon his death-bed in the year 1066, his 
last words to his grieving queen, Editha, were, 
"Weep not; I am not about to die, but am begin- 
ning to live eternally." 



Here Edward king, 
Of Angles lord, 
Sent his steadfast 
Soul to Christ, 
In the kingdom of God 
A holy spirit. 

From the Anglo-Saxon ^/Cedmon. 



Favorite Practice. 

To seek the gift of wisdom where it can alone be 
found — in prayer \ and union with God. 
319 



October i& 



ST. CALLISTUS, Pope and Martyr. 

' T. CALLISTUS was a Roman, and was ele- 

S^ vated to the Chair of St. Peter (succeeding 
Pope Zephyrinusi on August 2, 217. He was 
the first to institute the Ember-days, and also to 
give heed to the erection of durable buildings for the 
uses of Christian worship. His wisdom and strict 
attention to order and discipline in the Church were 
of so striking a character that the reigning emperor, 
Alexander Severus, although a pagan, was accus- 
tomed to hold forth the pontiff as an example to his 
nobles whenever a choice of civil magistrates had to 
be made, quoting to them the words of Callistus. that 
public offices should be conferred only on the most 
worthy. But neither the wisdom nor the virtues of 
St. Callistus could preserve him from the wrath of 
pagan persecutors, and he suffered martyrdom in the 
year 222. 



Like a tide our work should rise, 

Each later wave the best; 
To-morrow forever flies, 

To-day is the special test. 

John Boyle O'Reilly. 



Favorite Practice. 
A faithful observance of the Ember-days. 
320 



October is. 



ST. TERESA, Virgin. 

tERESA D'AVILA was born at Avila in Cas- 
tile on the 28th of March. 1515, and was one 
of the twelve children of the noble Don Al- 
fonso Sanchez de Cepeda and his wife Beatrix. Read- 
ing the lives of the martyrs, Teresa and her little 
brother in their tenderest years stole away from 
home, hoping to be martyred by the Moors. Bad 
example and the love of dress and pleasure, after- 
wards diminished the young girl's fervor; but her 
father having placed her at a convent-school, her 
early piety once more revived. At the age of twenty 
she entered as a novice the Carmelite convent at Avila, 
and after twenty years, she instituted the reform of the 
Carmelite Order, and established many monasteries of 
that strict observance. Her numerous compositions 
or compilations were so full of heavenly wisdom that 
St. Teresa ranks as a Doctor in the Church of God. 
She breathed her last in 1582 at her convent of San 
Jose, repeating, "A broken and contrite heart, O 
Lord, Thou wilt not despise 1" 



Were there no heaven, I would love Thee still. 

For Thy dread Passion, Lord, I love Thee best; 
And though in firmest hope I wait Thy will, 

Compared with love, my strongest hope is dead; 

For, without hope, in love I'd trusting rest. 

Maurice F. Egan. 
*. 

Favorite Practice. 

To repeat often with St. Teresa, " To suffer, Lord, 
or to die!" 

321 



October ie. 



ST. GAL, Abbot. 

^ T. GAL was born in Ireland somewhere about 
the year 545, and became, in time, the disci- 
ple of St. Columban. When the latter jour- 
neyed into France to seek a life of greater obscurity 
and seclusion, the disciple accompanied his beloved 
master. Being banished from Luxeuil by the devices 
of Queen Brunehaut, Columban and Gal sought ref- 
uge in Burgundy. King Sigebert was so charmed 
with the piety of Gal that he nominated him to fill 
the bishopric of Constance. But Gal contrived to 
evade the dignity, and contented himself with a little 
spot of ground whereon he built a few hermitages, 
and thus originated the famous monastery of Saint- 
Gal. The holy abbot wrought many miracles, and 
died in 640, at the venerable age of ninety-five. 



To play through life a perfect part, 

Unnoticed and unknown, 
To seek no rest in any heart, 

Save only God's alone; 
In little things to own no will, 

To have no share in great, 
To find the labor ready still, 

And for the crown to wait. 



Ellen Downing. 



. Favorite Practice. 

Ever choose rather to have less than more. 
322 



October 17. 




ST. HEDWIGE, Widow. 

NOBLE and gifted matron was Hedwige, 
Duchess of Poland. She exercised a most 
meek and loving sway over her husband and 
sons, and tenderly ruled her subjects; at the same 
time practising in secret many works of penance 
and humility. Hedwige was regarded as a model 
even by the nuns of Breslau, whose convent she had 
established. Her prudence and sweetness overcame 
the enemies of her husband, and obtained for the 
duke what the most skilful diplomats had failed to 
secure. The characteristic devotion of her great 
soul was submission to the holy will of God in every 
trial and contradiction. The pious duchess foretold 
the moment of her death. She made a fervent pre- 
paration for it, received the last rites, and died hap- 
pily in October, 1243. 



Meek, modest, temperate, and calm, 

To virtue ever dear, 
O'er all her noble manners reigns a charm 
Which universal reverence inspires. 

Dante. 



Favorite Practice. 

In every trial exclaim, " my God, Thou hast de- 
sired it ; may Thy blessed will be done /" 
323 



October 18. 



ST. LUKE, Evangelist. 

i T. LUKE, the beloved disciple of St. Paul, is 
supposed, like St. Mark, to have been con- 
verted after the Ascension of our Lord. He 
was a native of Antioch, the capital of Syria, and was 
a physician by profession (Col. iv. 14); but he became 
the companion of St. Paul in his travels, and his 
co-worker in the ministry of the Gospel. After 
the martyrdom of his master at Rome, St. Luke 
preached the Gospel in Greece and Egypt; and hav- 
ing endured many afflictions for the name of Christ, 
filled with the Holy Ghost, departed this life in 
Bithynia in the year of our Lord 74. Some ancient 
writers assert that St. Luke was a skilful artist; 
and tradition accredits him with a portrait of the 
Blessed Virgin Mary, painted from life. It is certain 
that he wrote a Gospel in Greek more than twenty 
years after our Lord's Ascension, and that he wrote 
also the Acts of the Apostles. 



. . . Heaven holdeth out the key ; 
Love turns it, and unlocks to virtuous minds 
The sanctuary of the beautiful. 

For from this Beauty there doth grace proceed 

So strange, so sweet, and of such influence, 

That he who dies through her, through her doth live. 

From the Italian of Michael Angelo. 



Favorite Practice. 

To recommend in a special manner to the patronage 
of St. L^the the labors of Catholic physicians and 
artists. 

324 



October m. 



ST. PETER OF ALCANTARA, Confessor. 

tHE life of the Spanish Franciscan, St. Peter of 
Alcantara, was a marvellous example of 
ecstatic prayer and unheard-of austerities, 
resulting in the closest union with God. But neither 
the ecstasies of prayer nor the rigors of penance 
could deter him from his great mission of preaching 
the Divine Word; and his ardent zeal was crowned 
by the conversion of thousands of sinners. In his 
love of God and his desire to glorify Him, he also 
employed his gifted pen for the instruction of the 
faithful; and two of his treatises, one on "Mental 
Prayer" and the other on " Peace of the Soul," are 
specially noted for their wisdom and spiritual unction. 
St. Peter of Alcantara was one of the confessors of 
St. Teresa; and, like her, he instituted a reform in 
his own Order, known as that of "the strict obser- 
vance." He died on October 19, at the monastery of 
Arenas. 



O wait ! to Thee my weary soul is crying - : 
Wait for me ! Yet why ask it when I see, 
With feet nailed to the cross, Thou'rt waiting still for me ! 
From the Spanish o/¥ra Lope de Vega, O.S.F. 



Favorite Practice. 

' ' Be not ashamed to serve others, and to appear poor 
in the world for the love of Jesus Christ." 
325 



October 20. 



ST. ARTHEMIS, Martyr. 

, URING the reign of Constantius, in the fourth 
J\^2f century, Arthemis was a general in the im- 
^^° perial army in Egypt. Through human 
respect, he accepted from his prince certain offices 
which caused him, though a Christian, to be suspected 
of being an Arian and an opponent to St. Athanasius. 
But in spite of his temporary concessions, his faith 
was pure; and he was finally arrested for having 
destroyed the pagan idols and their temples in Egypt. 
Brought before Julian the Apostate, Arthemis was 
inspired by God with an heroic courage, and openly 
repaired whatever disedification his past weakness 
might have given by boldly rebuking the emperor 
for the deceitful measures he had taken to convert his 
soldiers into idolaters without their knowledge. 
Julian, in indignation, ordered the Christian general 
to be beheaded. He was therefore martyred at An- 
tioch in the year 362. 



Lcve works the same as Death : it kills what kill it may; 

But through the bursting heart the Spirit wings its way. 

From the German 0/R.EV. Fr. Scheffler. 



Favorite Practice. 
Exert yourself continually in the present, to 1'epait 
the sca?idals or dis edifications of the past 
326 



October 21. 



ST. URSULA AND COMPANIONS, Virgins and 
Martyrs. 

\RADITION avers that St. Ursula was the 
daughter of the Christian king of Brittany, 
Theonotus (by his wife Daria a Sicilian prin- 
cess), reigning in the fifth century. Her mother died 
when Ursula was about fifteen years old, but she 
being wise as well as fair, supplied the queen's place 
in the kingdom. Being betrothed later to Conon, son 
of the king of England, it is said that she was the 
means of converting him, inducing him, like her- 
self, to consecrate his life to God. A large num- 
ber of holy virgins placed themselves under the 
direction of Ursula, and many Christian parents en- 
trusted to her and her companions the education 
of their children. England being then harassed by 
the Saxons, these devoted women and their charges 
withdrew to Gaul. But, on the banks of the Rhine, 
near Cologne, they were attacked by a horde of 
ravaging Huns, and preferred to die as martyrs of 
chastity sooner than incur sin and shame. This was 
in the year 453. St. Ursula is the patroness of 
Christian schools and scholars. Her relics are pre- 
served at Cologne, and many miracles have been 
wrought at her tomb. 

... A row of lilies meek that hold their breath, 
As pale, and mute, and motionless a£ death. 

Charles Warren Stoddard. 

♦ 

Favorite Practice. 

" Be not afraid of them that kill the body and after 

that have no more that they can do." 

327 



October 22. 



ST. PHILIP OF HERACLEA, Bishop and Martyr. 

t^SHILIP, bishop of Heraclea, was one of the 
^ many saints who suffered martyrdom for the 
<-<^ faith of Christ under the emperor Diocletian. 
A priest, Severus, and a deacon, Hermes, shared the 
blessed lot of their bishop. The holy trio refused to 
yield to the pagans the sacred books, as well as to 
burn incense before the false gods. They were 
therefore scourged with rods until their intestines 
were laid bare, and imprisoned in a horrible dungeon, 
where they languished in fetters and torments for 
seven months. By the providence of God. the prison 
of these chosen confessors communicated in some 
secret way with the public theatre of the city, and the 
Christians having recourse privately to Philip and 
his brethren, the latter continued to preach the Gos- 
pel even to the close of their painful imprisonment. 
They were burned at the stake, after seven months 
of repeated tortures; and Hermes had to be carried 
to the pyre, having completely lost the use of his 
limbs in that frightful dungeon. 



Bright beaming through their mist of tears, the smile 
Of holy Faith is seen, a peace-lit rainbow-sign. 

Rev. William Treacy, SJ. 



Favorite Practice. 
Strive to draw profit for the souls of others from the 
daily contradictions you may 7neet with. 
328 



October 23. 



ST. THEODORET, Martyr. 

tHE uncle of the famous Julian the Apostate was 
a certain Count Julian, who also renounced 
the faith of Christ in order to please his 
nephew. The reward of this iniquitous apostasy was 
the installation of Count Julian as governor of the 
East. At that period, the holy priest Theodoret 
was the trusty guardian of all the sacred vessels of 
the Christians. Count Julian demanded the surrender 
of those precious treasures; and when Theodoret 
firmly refused to betray his solemn trust, the governor 
subjected the noble priest to the most atrocious tor- 
tures. Theodoret, in the midst of his agony, contin- 
ually exhorted the apostate to return to the faith; but 
Julian remaining deaf to his counsels, the brave con- 
fessor, inspired by God, prophesied his own death on 
the rack, and predicted the defeat of Julian the Apos- 
tate by the Persians, and his despairing death, as well 
as that of Count Julian, who really expired forty days 
after, like Antiochus, consumed by worms. 



Man is unjust, but God is just ; and finally justice 
Triumphs. 

Henry W. Longfellow. 



Favorite Practice. 

To resolve sooner to die than betray a sacred trust. 
329 



ST. 

1 



ST. RAPHAEL, Archangel. 

AM Raphael, one of the Seven Holy Angels 
which present the prayers of the Saints, 
^"> and which go in and out before the glory of the 
Holy One." (Tobias xii. 15.) St. Raphael, whose name 
signifies the Medicine of God, is one of the Seven 
Archangels. He was deputed by Heaven to be the 
guide and guardian spirit of the young Tobias when 
his father sent him from Ninive to Rages to recover 
a loan from their kinsman, Gabelus. St. Raphael 
arranged and effected a happy marriage for the young 
man, and, on their return to the elder Tobias, instruct- 
ed the son how to apply the gall of a fish the youth 
had caught on his journey, to the blind eyes of his 
father, thus, to the great joy of all, restoring sight to 
the good old patriarch. St. Raphael is accounted the 
patron of the sick, of travellers, and of all contem- 
plating wedlock. 



. . . And Raphael, of the glorious Seven who stand 
Before the throne of Him who lives and reigns ; 

Angel of health ! the Lord hath filled thy hand 
With balm from heaven to soothe or cure our pains, 

Heal or console the victim of disease, 

And guide our steps when doubtful of our ways ! 

Anon. 



Favorite Practice. 

Place all your journeys under the patronage of St. 
Raphael. 

330 



October gg. 



SS. CRISPIN and CRISPINIAN, Martyrs. 

tHE names of Sts. Crispin and Crispinian are 
met with in the most ancient martyrologies. 
These holy brothers were of an illustrious 
Roman family, who quitted all for Christ and ac- 
companied St. Quentin (some say St. Denis) to 
Gaul, in order to preach the Gospel there. They 
took up their abode at Soissons (of which city they 
are counted the patron saints); and to avoid being a 
burden to the faithful, as also to be able to give alms 
to the poor, they employed the time not consecrated 
to their evangelical labors or personal devotions, in 
making or repairing shoes. In the year 287, they 
were denounced as Christians, and summoned in 
turn before the tribunals of Maximian, Hercules, and 
Rictius Varus. Threats and tortures were employed 
in vain against the holy and heroic brothers, and 
they finally suffered martyrdom by decapitation. 



Contempt and sorrow, ceaseless toil and pain, — 
To suffer all, to (fearless) suffer still, — 

Of what, forsooth, should loving hearts complain, 
Since love of God doth sweeten every ill ? 
From the French 0/" Blessed Margaret Mary Alacoque. 



Favorite Practice. 

To dignify even despised tasks by a noble and exalted 
intention. 

331 



October 26. 



ST. EVARISTUS, Pope and Martyr. 

k T. EVARISTUS succeeded that other canon- 
ized Pontiff, St. Anaclete, during the reign 
of the emperor Trajan, in the year 103. His- 
torians attribute to him the formation of the first 
parishes in the city of Rome, and the first appoint- 
ment of cardinal-priests or clergy invested (subject 
to his authority) with the charge of those parishes. 
St. Ignatius of Antioch declares that, under the 
pontificate of Evaristus, the faithful at Rome were 
models for all other true believers throughout Chris- 
tendom, because of their holiness, their fraternal 
charity, and the purity and steadfastness of their 
faith. St. Evaristus was martyred in 112. His re- 
mains were interred at the Vatican, near St. Peter's 
tomb. 



They have passed unto their guerdon, and oh ! children loved 

so fondly ! 
Let no cloud obscure the brightness of their memory through 

the years; 
Cherish it with fond affection, teach your children to revere it, 
Keep it green with the bedewing of your love's sincerest tears. 
Marcella A. Fitzgerald. 



Favorite Practice. 

To become, as St. Peter says, the living example of 
stick as are intrusted to your authority. 
332 



October 27. 



ST. FRUMENTIUS, Bishop. 

tN the fourth century, two young children, Fru- 
mentius and Edesius, natives of Tyre, were 
brought to Abyssinia by a relative who had 
business there. Whilst the little boys were reposing 
together, one day, studying some ancient scroll in 
the shade of a leafy tree, they were kidnapped by a 
party of natives. They were not ill-used, however, 
by their captors, but, on the contrary, treated with 
distinction as superior beings; and, after having 
loaded them with honors, the Abyssinian king, at the 
hour of his death, restored the brothers to freedom. 
Frumentius returned at last to Tyre. He conferred 
with the great St. Athanasius; and (like St. Patrick 
of Ireland, who was his cotemporary) Frumentius 
was made bishop, and set forth once more to give 
"the land a saint which lost him as a slave." He 
was the instrument of God in Christianizing the entire 
kingdom of Abyssinia; and his converts were so 
stanch and devoted that they defied the emperor 
Constantius in his efforts to pervert them to Arian- 
ism. Bishop Frumentius died about the close of the 
fourth century. 

Naught shall prevail against us, or disturb 
Our cheerful faith, that all which we behold 
Is full of blessings. 

William Wordsworth. 



Favorite Practice. 

To worship the finger of God in every contradiction*. 
" It is I: fear not.'" 

333 



October m. 



SS. SIMON and JUDE, Apostles. 

fT. SIMON was surnamed Zelotes because of 
his great zeal for the will and glory of his di- 
vine Master. He is said to have been a native 
of Cana of Galilee; and he is mentioned in the Gos- 
pel as having been elected by Christ to be one of the 
College of Apostles; and with them he awaited in the 
Cenacle the miraculous gifts of Pentecost. St. Simon 
carried the light of the Gospel into Egypt and other 
parts of Africa; and, finally going with St. Jude (as 
some grave writers attest) into Persia, preached there 
with his companion, and was with him martyred by 
the Persians in the year 68. Others assert that St. 
Jude was crucified and shot to death with arrows at 
Ararat in Armenia. He was brother to St. James 
the Less. He evangelized Mesopotamia and Arme- 
nia; and was the writer of the Epistle known as " The 
Catholic Epistle of St. Jude," directed especially 
against the heresies of the Gnostics, Simonians, and 
Nicholaites. 



Hark ! Apostles swell the chorus, 

Join to praise Thy sacred name; 
Thee, the white-robed band of Martyrs, 

Thee, the Prophets dread proclaim. 

Te Deum. 



Favorite Practice. 

Be zealous for the better gifts. 

334 



October 29. 



>&Js 



ST. NARCISSUS, Bishop. 

* T. NARCISSUS was bishop of Jerusalem in 195, 



being eighty years of age when appointed 
to that see. His venerable sanctity excited 
the envy of the infernal spirits, and three of their 
emissaries (wicked men) accused the holy bishop of 
an atrocious crime, in order that they themselves 
might escape the charge. Each wretched man 
sealed his slander with a terrible imprecation. " May 
I be burnt alive !" said one; " May I be struck 
with leprosy!" said another; "May my eyes never 
more behold the light of day !" cried the third. 
Sooner than justify himself and expose these guilty 
men, the noble old bishop withdrew to a retired 
spot and committed his cause silently to God. But 
behold ! one of the foul perjurers was stricken blind; 
one became a leper; and one, by the just judgment 
of God, was burned alive. His innocence thus at- 
tested by Heaven, Narcissus returned to his diocese 
and was welcomed with open arms. He lived to the 
great age of 116 years. 



Let but thy heart, O man, become a valley low, 
And God will rain on it till it will overflow. 

From the German of Angelus Silejius. 



Favorite Practice. 

To reflect that our Lord has declared those men 
blessed against who??i all manner of evil is spoken 
falsely for His sake. 

335 



October 30. 



ST. MARCELLUS, Martyr. 

tHE national festivities on the occasion of the 
coronation of the emperor Maximian Hercu- 
les were ordered to be accompanied with 
idolatrous sacrifices. The centurion in the Trajan 
legion at that date was the Christian hero Marcel- 
lus. At the command to sacrifice to the false gods, 
he threw down his arms and declared that he would 
give up the service sooner than obey the infamous 
order. There was at that time no public persecution 
of the Christians, but Marcellus was tried before 
Agricolanus, and sentenced by him to be beheaded 
under the specious plea that he had been guilty oi 
contempt to the emperor. The secretary of Agrico- 
lanus, one Gassian, struck with the injustice of the 
sentence (although a pagan), threw down his pen 
and refused to record the sentence of Marcellus. 
He was also cast into prison, only to reappear be- 
fore Agricolanus and openly avow himself a Chris- 
tian. St. Marcellus was martyred on October 30th, 
and St. Gassian on the 3d of the following De- 
cember. 



O blessed Faith, content and sure, 
Thy steadfastness no time can change ! 

O perfect Love, serene and pure, 
Thou knowest nor death nor change ! 

Mrs. M. E. Mannix. 



Favorite Practice. 

Be firm as a rock in matters of duty> inciting other* 
to imitate your example. 

336 



October 31. 



ST. QUENTIN, Martyr. 

IT. QUENTIN, the apostle of Picardy, is 
Jp^ famous for the innumerable and ingenious 
tortures whereby he won his heavenly 
crown. The prefect Rictius Varus condemned him 
first to be fettered, scourged, and imprisoned. A 
week later he was scourged afresh, and broken upon 
a rack. Then they beat him with chains of iron, and 
aggravated his terrible wounds with burning oil and 
pitch. In the midst of his agony, the heroic Quentin 
never ceased praising our Lord Jesus Christ; and the 
prefect, unable to silence him, commanded the execu- 
tioners to fill the holy confessor's mouth with quick- 
lime and vinegar. Remanded to his dungeon, he was 
carried shortly after to Amiens, and tortured with 
iron rods driven through his thighs, and spikes bar- 
barously forced under the nails of his hands and feet. 
None of these savage cruelties could shake the mar- 
tyr's faith and constancy, however, and the prefect, in 
the year 287, ordered his head to be struck off. 



Great was the struggle, fierce the strife, but wonderful the 

gain, 
For not one trial or one pang was sent or felt in vain, 
And every link of that long chain that led my soul to Thee 
Remains a monument of all Thy mercy wrought in me ! 

Lady Fullerton. 
♦ ■ 

Favorite Practice. 

In every suffering to exclaim, " We give Thee 
thanks, Lord Jesus Christ /' 
337 



^oxizmbzx. 



Pale November, at the door, 

Kneels in mystic contemplation : 
iiJ Tis our Lady's Presentation, 

Zealous souls, her help implore /" 

E. C. 



339 



HOVEMBEI^ 1. 



FEAST OF ALL SAINTS. 

ND I heard the number of them that were 
sealed: a hundred and forty-four thousand 
sealed, of all the tribes of the children of 

Israel After this I saw a great multitude, 

which no man could number, of all nations, and tribes, 
and peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne, 
and in sight of the Lamb, clothed with white robes, 
and palms in their hands; and they cried with a loud 
voice, saying, Salvation to our God who sitteth 
upon the throne, and to the Lamb. And all the 
angels stood round about the throne, and about the 
ancients, and about the four living creatures; and 
they fell before the throne upon their faces, and 
adored God, saying, Amen. Benediction, and glory, 
and wisdom, and thanksgiving, honor, and power. 
and strength to our God, for ever and ever. Amen." 
— Apoc. vii. 4-12. 



... I saw, too, coming down that brilliant stair. 

Such multitude of splendors, that methought 
Heaven's every light had been concentred there. 

Dan^e. 



Favorite Practice. 

A spiritual reading daily fro??i the Lives of the Saints. 
341 



HOVEMBEI^ 2. 




COMMEMORATION OF ALL SOULS. 

LL SOULS' is a day appointed by the Church 
of God whereon the living are specially ex- 
horted to offer prayers and suffrages for the 
souls of the faithful departed. "Judas, the valiant 
commander, having made a gathering, sent 1200 
drachms of silver to Jerusalem for sacrifice, to be 
offered for the sins of the dead, thinking well and 

religiously concerning the resurrection It 

is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray 
for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins." — 
2 Mac. xii. 43, 46. "Make an agreement with thy 
adversary quickly, whilst thou art in the way with 
him; lest perhaps the adversary deliver thee to the 
judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and 
thou be cast into prison. A?7ien I say to thee, Thou 
shalt not go out from thence till thou pay the last farth- 
ing" — St. Matt. v. 25, 26. 



So pray that, rescued from the storm 

Of Heaven's eternal ire, 
We may lie down, then rise again, 

Safe, and yet saved by fire. 

Cardinal Newman. 



Favorite Practice. 

Recite the " De Profundis" every day for the suffer- 
ing souls in Purgatory. 

342 



HOYEMBER 3. 






ST. HUBERT, Bishop. 

UBERT of Aquitaine was a nobleman of the 
court of Pepin d'Heristal in the seventh 
century. He was given up, as was the cus- 
tom of his fellow-courtiers, to the pursuit of worldly 
pleasures, and was specially devoted to the chase. 
One day in Holy Week, when hunting in the forest 
of Ardennes, he pursued a milk-white stag which, 
turning at last upon the astounded Hubert, revealed 
a crucifix shining between its antlers. Penetrated 
with awe at this miracle of the divine mercy, the 
hunter fell upon his knees, and then and there dedi- 
cated himself entirely to the service of God. He be- 
came a hermit in the forest of Ardennes, and, after 
years of penance, was elected successively to the 
bishoprics of Maestricht and Liege. He was a 
preacher of great power and unction, and by his 
zeal freed his large diocese from all remains of idola- 
try. God accorded him the gift of miracles before 
his death, which took place Nov. 3, 727. 



. . . Thrice-happy Hubert ! thou art nigh 

The foot-stool of the King ! 
In this lone place, O child of grace, 

Henceforth in penance bide; 
Forsake the court, forego the chase, 

And follow the Crucified !" 

From " Legend of the Best-Beloved.' 1 



Favorite Practice. 

To permit no delay between God's inspiration and 
your correspondence to it. 

343 



nOYEMBBI^ & 



ST. CHARLES BORROMEO, Bishop and Con- 
fessor. 

^T. CHARLES BORROMEO was the nephew 
of Pope Pius IV. He was born in 1537 of 
one of the oldest, noblest, and wealthiest fam- 
ilies of Lombardy, being the second son of Count 
Borromeo. From his earliest years the little Charles 
was so noted for the gravity and sanctity of his 
character, that his uncle, Pope Pius, created him 
cardinal-archbishop of Milan at the age of twenty- 
three. There the young prelate's life (as even a 
non-Catholic writer of note attests) presented a 
picture of active charity and self-denying humility, 
only to be equalled by those of the primitive apostles 
and teachers of Christianity. When the plague rav- 
aged Milan, not satisfied with tending the sick in 
person, he offered himself solemnly to God as a 
sacrifice for his people. God did not demand that 
precious life; but the plague ceased miraculously. 
St. Charles died on Nov. 4, 1584, breathing out in 
rapture the words " Ecce venio!" He was the inti- 
mate friend of St. Philip Neri, and the patron of 

Palestrina. 

♦ 

. . . Rich in saving common-sense, 

And, as the greatest only are, 

In his simplicity sublime. 

Alfred Tennyson. 
» 

Favorite Practice. 

The motto of St. Charles was, " Humilitas" En- 
grave it on your heart. 

344 



HOVEMBBI^ g. 



ST. ELIZABETH, Mother of St. John Baptist. 

HIS chosen matron was the kinswoman of the 



^jfifr Blessed Virgin Mary. She was wife to the 
05^ priest Zachary, being also herself descended 
from Aaron. They were well advanced in years, 
and had no children ; but on a certain day, when 
Zachary was offering incense in the temple, the angel 
Gabriel appeared to him and foretold the birth of the 
Baptist. Zachary doubted the word of the angel, and 
was stricken dumb for the following nine months. 
When the angel Gabriel announced to the Blessed 
Virgin the mystery of the Incarnation, he revealed 
to her, on the same occasion, that her cousin Eliza- 
beth was also about to become a mother. Mary 
hastened to visit the house of her kinswoman. At 
the first sound of her voice, Elizabeth was filled with 
the Holy Ghost. The unborn Baptist was endued 
with reason, and his mother bore testimony to Mary's 
office and dignity in these words: " Blessed art thou 
among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb; 
and whence is this to me that the mother of my Lord 
should come to me?" 



Right coming fair, and full of meekness, 
Good and glad and lowly, I you ensure, 
Is this goodly and angelic creature. 

Geoffrey Chaucer. 



Favorite Practice. 

A communion in honor of the mother of the Baptist. 
345 



nOVEMBBI^ 6. 



ST. LEONARD, Hermit. 

v«j i. LEONARD was the god-son of the famous 
King Clovis, and was one of the chief noble- 
men of his court. Inspired by the example 
and preaching of St. Remigius, he renounced the 
world and consecrated himself entirely to the service 
of God. He became the apostle of the Franks; but 
through a great fear of honors from his royal sponsor, 
he sought refuge, first in the monastery of Micy, near 
Orleans, and later in the solitude of Noblac, near Li- 
moges. Here he visited and consoled the inmates of 
a prison near his retreat, and made numerous con- 
verts among those unhappy creatures, some of whom 
became his disciples and entered a monastery which 
he founded for them. The holy founder rested peace- " 
fully from his labors in 550. 



Thou, like the cloud, my sou., 
Dost in thyself of beauty naught possess 
Devoid the light of heaven, a vapor foul, 
The veil of nothingness. 

John B. Tabb. 



Favorite Practice. 

To supply prisons and reformatories with Catholic 
books and journals. 

346 



nOVEMBEI^ Z. 



ST. WILBROD, Bishop. 

*TT[.T was by the great and persuasive zeal of St. 

jlf Wilbrod, bishop of Utrecht, that the conquest 
&*"* of the Dutch provinces to Christianity, in the 
eighth century, was accomplished. Charles Martel 
had, by force of arms, vanquished the Frieslanders; 
but after their subjugation they remained bitterly re- 
bellious under the yoke imposed upon them, and, 
being idolaters, naturally hated the Christian faith, 
which was that of their detested masters. St. Wil- 
brod, having obtained the ^permission and protection 
of Pepin, son of Charles Martel, travelled as a mis- 
sionary of Christ through Friesland, Holland, and 
Zeeland, preaching everywhere the gospel of glory 
to God on high, and peace on earth to men of good- 
will. He converted the whole three provinces, and 
before his death (which occurred about the year 738) 
he had the happiness of seeing these new subjects of 
his prince connected by the most indissoluble bonds 
with the great household of faith. 



He comes, by grace of his address, 

By the sweet music of his face, 
And his low tones of tenderness, 

To melt a noble, stubborn race. 

Cardinal Newman. 



Favorite Practice. 

To strive to win by gentleness those who have been 
embittered by oppression. 

347 



HOYEMBEI^ 8, 



ST. SEVERUS AND HIS THREE BROTHERS, 

Martyrs. 

^HE Sovereign Pontiff Paul II. having been in- 
spired by Heaven to rebuild a certain church 
on the boundary of the Lavican Way, God 
permitted the work to be the means of revealing the 
relics and titles of four of His hidden martyrs. It was 
known that this ancient church had been reared above 
the sacred remains of certain holy saints who were 
invoked under the title of the Four Crowned Martyrs. 
But nothing further was remembered of the history 
of those long-departed servants of God. The work- 
men, however, by the order of the Pope excavating 
the ruined old church, came upon a crypt beneath the 
altar, wherein lay concealed some vases or urns of 
porphyry. These, when opened by the proper autho- 
rities, were found to contain the precious relics and 
names of the Four Crowned Martyrs. They proved 
to be four brothers, Severus, Severian, Carpophorus, 
and Victorius, who were high civil officers of the city 
of Rome in the latter part of the third and beginning 
of the fourth century, and who suffered martyrdom 
under the emperor Diocletian in the year of our Lord 

304. 

♦ 

Respect the past for all the good it knew: 

Give noble lives and struggling truths their due. 

John Boyle O'Reilly. 



Favorite Practice. 

A devotion to the hidden life. 
348 



HOVEMBEI^ 9. 



ST. THEODORUS, Martyr. 

fHEODORUS, a Christian soldier, was one of 
the Roman legion at Amasius during the 
persecution of Galerian and Maximian. He 
boldly professed his faith, saying, " I am a Christian; 
do with me what you like; and not only refused to 
sacrifice to the false gods, but, putting a torch to the 
temple of Cybele, he drew the attention of the idola- 
ters to the indisputable fact that the wooden temple 
was forthwith reduced to ashes, and the stone deity 
to a heap of lime. He was tortured by the pagan ex- 
ecutioners in the most atrocious manner; but while 
his flesh was cruelly torn by irons, he calmly chanted 
passages from the Psalms. Defeating the designs of 
his judge by his heroic endurance, Theodorus was 
finally burned at the stake on February 17, a.d. 306. 



. . . Unto the victor only belongs the victor's palm, 
And, after the fight, the soldier may rest in slumber calm. 
Eleanor C. Donnelly. 



Favorite Practice. 

When agitated by any powerful emotion, to repeat 
verses from sacred hymns until the soul is calmed. 
349 



ROYEMBEI^ 10. 



ffi 



ST. ANDREW AVELLINO, Confessor. 



[gtfh CELEBRATED lawyer of Naples (where he 
was born in the year 1521). Andrew Avellino 
was the possessor of so many natural gifts, 
and was so flattered, in consequence, by many ad- 
miring friends, that, had he not been as pious as he 
was brilliant, he might have been in great peril of his 
eternal salvation. But the noble Andrew was not 
destined to remain long in the society of worldlings. 
His conscience was one of extreme delicacy; and 
having on a certain occasion violated the truth in 
pleading a case at the bar, he was so penetrated with 
horror and remorse at his offence against Him who 
is the Eternal Truth that he withdrew at once from 
the practice of the law and entered the religious Order 
of the Theatines. In his new vocation he labored 
with all his characteristic zeal and energy, and was 
the instrument of God in the reform of many abuses 
of his day. He died in the year 160S. being struck 
with apoplexy while at the foot of the altar. 



Oh ! there are endless means and ways, some stormy and some 

sweet. 
Through which God's guiding Hand conducts His favored 

children's feet ! 

Lady Fuller-ton. 



Favorite Practice. 

To shun with scrupulous care the smallest insincerity \ 
350 



nOVEMBBI^ 11. 



n^r 




ST. MARTIN, Bishop of Tours. 

ARTIN was the son of pagan parents, and 
was born in Pannonia about the year 316. 
He was a soldier by profession; but in his 
early manhood was enrolled among the Christian 
catechumens, and prepared himself most piously for 
holy baptism. One day, in passing through a gate 
of the town of Amiens, he met a half-naked beggar 
who besought an alms. Martin, moved with pity, 
divided his cloak with his sword, and gave one half to 
the beggar. The next night our Lord and His Blessed 
Mother appeared to Martin in a dream, and the for- 
mer, showing the torn cloak, exclaimed, " Behold 
Martin, the catechumen, who gave Me this garment !" 
This vision so inflamed the young soldier with divine 
love and zeal that he renounced at once the military 
service and consecrated himself entirely to God. He 
was soon elevated, by his great sanctity, to the see of 
Tours, and became (as a pious writer attests) the 
glory of Gaul and the light of the Church. St. Martin 
wrought numerous miracles, and died in the year 400. 



. . . The theme which fills with love 

The earth beneath 
And all the stars above, 
And scatters with its light 
The gloom of death. 



B. I. Durward. 



Favorite Practice. 

To clothe the naked for God's sake. 
351 



HOYEMBEI^ 12. 



ST. NILUS, Hermit. 

fHE noble Nilus was appointed by the emperor 
Arcadius,in the fourth century of the Christian 
era, to fill the important post of prefect of 
Constantinople. Nilus had been trained in Christian 
piety by the great St. John Chrysostom, and, being 
addicted to the serious contemplation of eternal 
truths, he felt called by the Divine Spirit to retire 
from the haunts of men, and seek the practice of per- 
fection in some solitary place. He and his good 
wife felt mutually attracted to a religious life. In the 
fulfilment of the will of God, Nilus withdrew with his 
son to the desert of Sinai about the year 390; and 
his wife remained in retirement, directing her young 
daughter in the paths of virtue. The holy hermit 
employed his pen most zealously for the salvation 
of immortal souls. His learned and pious treatises 
were distributed far and wide; and he kept up an 
active and fruitful correspondence with all those of 
the faithful who sought his counsel. 



. . . Are we not called to part, 
Fix all our hopes upon a holier world, 
And through the cloister climb the steps of heaven 
With works of mercy ? 

Marion Muir. 



Favorite Practice. 

To encourage the circulation of Catholic books and 
periodicals. 

352 



nOVEMBEI^ 13. 



ST. STANISLAUS KOTSKA, Confessor. 

fHIS little angel of the Society of Jesus was 
the son of a Polish senator, and was born 
in the year 1550. His mother was a woman 
of most exalted piety; and the young Stanislaus 
was educated chiefly by her until he reached his 
fourteenth year. Being sent with his elder brother 
Paul, under the care of a preceptor, to the Jesuit 
College of Vienna, the boy made rapid strides in the 
science of the saints. He had much to suffer from 
the ill-treatment of his worldly brother and his tutor, 
who compelled him to lodge with them at the house 
of a Protestant in Vienna; but Stanislaus bore all 
with angelic sweetness and patience. Called unmis- 
takably by the voice of God, the holy youth entered 
the Society of Jesus. His father in vain exerted 
his utmost to oppose the designs of Heaven. St. 
Francis Borgia approved of the vocation of that cho- 
sen soul; but Stanislaus did not live to complete his 
novitiate, dying at Rome, on the Feast of our Blessed 
Lady's Assumption, before he had attained his eigh- 
teenth year. 

♦ 

My tears are uplift like the dews in the sun, 
The mists of my mourning are melted and gone; 
And my soul, like a bird in its day-lighted nest, 
Is pouring the joyance of song from its breast ! 

Hon. Ignatius Donnelly. 



Favorite Practice. 

To commend our Catholic children to the patronage 
of St. Stanislaus. 



HOYEMBEI^ 1& 




ST. LAWRENCE, Bishop. 

LAWRENCE was the well-beloved arch- 
bishop of Dublin, Ireland, in the latter part 
of the eleventh century. His diocese was at 
that period a wealthy one, but the holy prelate reduced 
himself to poverty in order to bestow all he possessed 
on the poor. From time to time, in order to labor 
more efficiently in the reformation of his people, he 
gave himself to spiritual retreats, whence he returned 
to his charge with fresh zeal and holiness. To es- 
tablish a more fervent life among his clergy, he as- 
sumed the habit and rule of St. Augustine, and in- 
duced his canons to adopt the same. A vendetta hav- 
ing been planned against one of the Irish kings by 
the ruling English monarch, St. Lawrence traversed 
both land and sea to seek an audience with the latter, 
Henry II. , and by his heavenly eloquence brought 
about his reconciliation with his enemy. He died 
at Eu in 1081, on his way home from that exalted 

mission. 

♦ 

Historic Muse ! my joyous voice inspire 
To sing Faith's wonders with celestial fire ! 

Then to a tale in which both virtues strong 
And burning zeal and piety belong, 
Propitious lend thine aid. 

Rev. Henry A. Brann, D.D. 



Favorite Practice. 

To exert yourself to reconcile ene?nies. 
354 



HOYEMBEI^ 1$. 



ST. GERTRUDE, Virgin. 

^ T. GERTRUDE was one of those chosen souls 
v ^"^ whose life and writings attract the Christian 
soul to contemplate great natural gifts trans- 
figured by a celestial sanctity. As a young religious 
of the Benedictine Order, Gertrude was so delicate 
in health that her superiors were obliged to dispense 
her continually from the rigor of the rules. The 
obedient nun never remonstrated, but submitted 
herself like so much wax to be moulded unresistingly 
to the will of her mistresses. This was so pleasing 
to our Lord that He declared once to another chosen 
servant, "If you seek Me in any other resting-place 
after that of the altar, you will find Me in the heart 
of My dear Gertrude." Eventually elected abbess 
of Rodersdorff in Saxony, St. Gertrude gave to the 
world her book of " Revelations," which contains the 
account of her communications with God, and her 
transports of devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, 
a prelude, as it were, to the revelations made three 
centuries later to the Blessed Margaret Mary Ala- 
coque. St. Gertrude died the death of divine love in 
1334- # 

Strike the harps, until the harps above 
Give to ours the full response of love; 
Tune the viols, till their sweetness soars 
Where each seraph Jesu's Heart adores. 

Eliza Allen Starr. 

Favorite Practice. 

St. Gertrude s prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. 
355 



nOYEMBEJ^ 16. 



ST. EUCHERIUS, Bishop. 

fNSPIRED by a special and powerful grace from 
God, the gifted Eucherius abandoned a bril- 
liant station in the world and followed his two 
sons to the monastic solitude of Lerins. The young 
men were the disciples of the wise St. Honoratus; 
and Eucherius, having made choice of the same holy 
director, attained under his care to such a degree 
of sanctity that he was elected, against his will, to 
fill the bishopric of Lyons. He discharged the duties 
of that responsible office with great zeal and perfec- 
tion. He wrote many spiritual treatises, among 
which the most notable are the " Solitary Life" and 
" Contempt of the World," on both of which topics 
he was admirably fitted to discourse because of his 
own unusual experience. St. Eucherius died in the 
year 450. 



What seek we here of harrowing care, 
Of toil or trade, or mart or manners, 

While round us on the soft, sweet air, 
Peace dreams on Nature's leafy banners ? 

Daniel Connolly. 



Favorite Practice. 

To read such books as will enge?ider in you a con- 
tempt of the world. 

356 



nOVBMBBI^ 17. 



GREGORY THAUMATURGUS, Bishop. 

REGORY, Bishop of Tours, was a devoted 
client of the great St. Martin. He wrote a 
beautiful life of that saint, who, two centuries 
before, had been Gregory's predecessor in the same 
see; and he spent long nights in prayer beside St. 
Martin's tomb. In his great humility, Gregory at- 
tributed to the powerful intercession of that holy pa- 
tron the numerous miracles which he himself per- 
formed, and which have won for him the title of Thau- 
maturgus. When the cause of the Church, and the 
claims of justice and faith demanded it, the humble 
Gregory, however, did not hesitate to brave the anger 
of Kings Chilperic, Fredegund, and Gontran. Before 
his death, he enjoined his attendants to inter his re- 
mains before the porch of his basilica, so that every 
passer-by might tread him, as it were, beneath his 
feet. He died in 595, and was buried as he had com- 
manded. 



Humility, that low sweet root 

From which all heavenly virtues shoot. 

Thomas Moore. 



Favorite Practice. 

Hide your good deeds under the mantle of true modesty. 



ftOYEMBEI^ 18. 



ST. ALPHEUS AND COMPANIONS, Martyrs. 

fN the nineteenth year of the emperor Diocletian, 
on the occasion of the twentieth celebration of 
the public games, an amnesty was proclaimed 
against all criminals, save and except the prisoners 
who were condemned for professing the faith of Jesus 
Christ. These latter, on the contrary, were treated 
with additional cruelty. On the i;th of November of 
that year. Alpheus, reader of the church of Caesarea, 
and Zaccheus, deacon of Gadara (captives for the 
faith), were martyred at Antioch; and with them suf- 
fered, at the same time, St. Romanus, exorcist of 
Caesarea, and a child-martyr named Barillas. These 
blessed saints are all commemorated together in the 
Martyrology, because they won their crowns at the 
same date. 



Reared on lone heights and rare, 
His saints their watch-flame bear, 
And the mad world sees the wide-circling blaze, 
Vain searching whence it streams, and how to quench its rays. 

Cardinal Newman. 



Favorite Practice. 

At stick times as worldlings are given to greater dissi- 
pation, strive to sei've God with greater recollectioti. 
358 



HOYEMBEI^ 19. 



ST. ELIZABETH OF HUNGARY, Widow. 

W. ELIZABETH, called by her people "the 
dear St, Elizabeth," was the daughter of King 
Andrew II. of Hungary and the beloved 
spouse of the landgrave Louis of Thuringia. She was 
the good angel of the landgrave's court; but her 
heroic virtues were often a reproach to others less 
holy, and she was tried by many persecutions. When 
about twenty years of age Elizabeth was deprived of 
the protection of her devoted husband. He started 
with his liege lord, Frederick II., to join the Third 
Crusade, but died of fever before he reached Pales- 
tine. His brother cruelly turned Elizabeth out of 
doors with her four children, the youngest being a 
babe at the breast. The holy young widow re- 
joiced to suffer these pains with her despised Lord. 
She was ultimately restored to her rights, but led 
a life of wonderful penance and humility to the end, 
enrolled in the Third Order of St. Francis. In her 
last agony she sang like an angel, and died Nov. 19, 
1231, having just completed her twenty-fourth year. 
Many miracles are recorded in her life. 



Sweet lips whereon perpetually did reign 
The summer calm of golden charity. 

Alfred Tennyson. 



Favorite Practice. 

An alms to the poor, purchased at the expense of soine 
personal pleasure. 

359 



nOVBMBEI^ 20. 




ST. EDMUND, King and Martyr. 

>URING the reign of Edmund, king of the 
jf^y/ East Angles, the Danes, headed by their 
^$^-> ferocious chief Hingar, made an incursion 
into England. Edmund, who was a wise and just 
prince, endeavored to repel the rude invaders, and was 
at first successful in battle against them; but the latter 
returning to the charge, the Christian monarch and 
his forces were irretrievably vanquished. Hingar had 
vowed an implacable hatred against the faith of Christ, 
and he now proposed to King Edmund that if he would 
abolish Christianity in his dominions he should be re- 
warded by being reinstated on his throne. Edmund 
rejected the infamous proposal with indignation and 
horror. The Danish chief then subjected the holy 
king to many and painful tortures. He was scourged, 
flayed, and, having been tied to a tree, was pierced, 
like St. Sebastian, with arrows, slowly driven in one 
by one. Edmund, however, remained constant to 
Christ, and repeatedly pronounced the holy name 
Jesus, which so enraged Hingar that he caused him 
to be beheaded on Nov. 20, 870. 



The royal way 
To realms above is woe. 

Father Adrian Rouquette. 



Favorite Practice. 

To reflect upon those words of the Gospel, l * What shall 
a man give in exchange for his soul?" 
360 



HOVEMBEI^ 21. 



PRESENTATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN 
MARY. 

f\Tp^HIS festival commemorates a beautiful, touch- 
fj^Nr ing, and significant act in the life of the Mother 
vS^ of God. From the first moment of her con- 
ception in the womb of Anna, Mary offered and con- 
secrated her immaculate being entirely and irrevo- 
cably to the Deity; but (as the sacred tradition of the 
Church assures us), at the tender age of three years, 
she made an open confirmation of that sacrifice in the 
Temple of Jerusalem. Attended by her father Joa- 
chim and her mother Anna, the immaculate child 
uttered her vow of consecration in the presence of the 
officiating priest, and then voluntarily bade her par- 
ents farewell, and withdrew into the sacred retreat of 
the Temple, to hide herself among the young virgins 
who were there received and trained in their exalted 
duties. She did not leave the Temple again until 
she was espoused to St. Joseph. The festival of the 
Presentation is of great antiquity, having been cele- 
brated in the Eastern Church as early as 895. 



And after her (the prophets sing) 
Shall many virgins, following, 
Be led with gladness to the King ! 

From ''"Crowned with Stars." 



Favorite Practice. 

Renew your baptismal vows and holy resolutions. 
361 



HOYBMBEI^ 22. 



ST. CECILIA, Virgin and Martyr. 

fHIS noble virgin was born in Rome towards 
the close of the second century, while Alex- 
ander Severus was the reigning emperor. 
Her talent for music was remarkable, and she not 
only composed and sang hymns, but is said to have 
invented the organ, consecrating it to the service 
of God. When she was about sixteen, her parents 
married her to a young senator named Valerian. 
He was a pagan, but of a noble and generous nature. 
Cecilia having revealed to him the vow of virginity she 
had made, the young husband reverenced her angelic 
resolution; and Cecilia was the means of converting 
him and his brother, Tiburtius, to Christianity. After 
their martyrdom, the young widow was put to the 
torture, being first immersed in boiling water (from 
which she emerged unscathed), and then struck with 
an axe in the head and breast. She lay bleeding 
from these cruel wounds for the space of three days, 
praying, and exhorting all who visited her, and at last 
expired, singing hymns of praise to God. St. Cecilia 
is the patroness of sacred music. 



. . . When to her organ vocal breath was given, 
An angel heard, and straight appeared, 
Mistaking earth for heaven. 

John Dryden. 
4 

Favorite Practice. 

A zeal for the beauty and solemnity of our Catholic 
nisic. 

362 



H-OVEMBEI^ 2-3. 



\S 






ST. CLEMENT, Pope and Martyr. 

T. CLEMENT was converted to the faith by 
^ the apostle St. Paul, and was the disciple and 
fellow-laborer not only of that great Doctor, 
but also of St. Peter. The latter is believed to have 
consecrated St. Clement as bishop, and he succeeded 
St. Cletus as the third Supreme Pontiff of the Church. 
Whilst he occupied the Chair of Peter a schism took 
place among the believers at Corinth. But the zeal 
and holiness of St. Clement overcame the malicious 
attempts of the arch-enemy. The niece of the reign- 
ing emperor, Domitian, being one of St. Clement's 
converts to the faith, the Pope enjoyed immunity 
from persecution until the accession of Trajan. But 
after that event began the third general persecution 
of the Christians, and St. Clement was martyred by 
decapitation in the year 101. 



Who guides the bark in times so dark? 
A Higher Power, in supreme hour, 
At helm doth stand and take command. 

Madame Madeleine Vinton Dahlgren. 



Favorite Practice. 

To pray God daily to avert from His children all 
heresies and schisms. 

363 



HOYEMBEI^ 2$. 



ST. JOHN OF THE CROSS, Confessor. 

fOHN DYEPEZ was a contemporary and co- 
worker of St. Teresa of Jesus. He was born 
in her native place, Avila, in 1542, and was 
blessed by God with a saintly mother who trained 
him in the school of Christ, until the youth thirsted 
for nothing more ardently than to become a living- 
copy of his suffering Master. At the age of twenty- 
one, he entered the Carmelite monastery at Medina, 
and took there the name of "John of the Cross." 
He labored with St. Teresa in the reform of their 
great Order, and was himself the first barefooted or 
discalced Carmelite. His virtue was proved and 
perfected by many extraordinary trials; but all his 
sufferings served only to increase his profound spirit 
of humility and mortification. He died on Dec. 14, 
1591; and God glorified His servant by numerous 
miracles. 



The cross on Golgotha 

Will never save thy soul; 
The cross in thine own heart 

Alone can make thee whole. 

From the German of Angelus SlLESlUS. 



Favorite Practice. 

To say often, " By Thy cross and Passion, dear 
Lord, deliver me!" 

364 



nOVEMBBI^ SS. 



ST. CATHARINE, Virgin and Martyr. 

DISTINGUISHED for her rank, wealth, and 
^j) unusual erudition, Catharine of Alexandria 
^$*-~> is said to have been a granddaughter of Con- 
stantius Chlorus, father of Constantine the Great. She 
braved the wrath of the tyrant Maximianus, and bold- 
ly pleaded the cause of the Christians he persecuted; 
and when he instructed fifty of the most learned men 
of his empire to overcome her arguments by their 
erudition, Catharine disputed with them so ably and 
lucidly that she converted them all to the faith. Then 
the emperor, struck with her beauty and intelligence, 
sought to tamper with her virtue; but Catharine not 
only repulsed the monster with scorn, but managed 
to convert the empress and more than two hundred 
of the attendants of the imperial court. Maximian, 
enraged, ordered the heroic girl to be broken on the 
wheel, but an angel rescued her from that torture. 
Then she was condemned to be beaten with rods 
and beheaded, which was done on Nov. 25, a.d. 307. 
When she was dead, angels took up her body and 
bore it over the desert and over the Red Sea, to the 
summit of Mount Sinai. 



Descending swiftly from the skies, 

Her guardian angel came; 
He struck God's lightning from her eyes, 

And bore him back the flame. 

RlCHAKD DALTON WlLLIAMS. 



Favorite Practice. 

To sanctify study by prayer. 

365 



HOYEMBBI^ 



ST. PETER, Bishop of Alexandria. 

^HIS heroic bishop of Alexandria was a man of 
great learning and great sanctity. He was the 
first to excommunicate Meletius and Arius, 
in spite of the combined efforts of their powerful par- 
tisans. As the persecution of Diocletian raged dur- 
ing his holy episcopate, St. Peter lost no opportunity 
of exhorting his flock to courage and final persever- 
ance. He constantly taught his disciples that in 
order to be able to die for one's faith, one must be- 
gin by the practice of daily dying to one's self, by re- 
nouncing one's will, and by detachment from all 
things. The holy man added the force of example 
to precept, as he himself underwent martyrdom with 
great intrepidity in the year 311. 



On death and judgment, heaven and hell, 
Who oft doth think, must needs die well. 

Sir Walter Raleigh. 



Favorite Practice. 

To deny one's self some little thing each day in prepa- 
ration for a good death, 

366 



HOVEMBEI^ 27. 



;®> 



ST. MAXIMUS, Bishop. 

"HEN St. Honoratus, abbot of Lerins, was 
made bishop of Aries, Maximus was cho- 
<^?J sen to succeed him as superior of the mon- 

astery which was very large, and famous for the 
learning and piety of its inmates. The new abbot 
was a marvel of sweetness and gentleness. So 
persuasive, in fact, was his kindly rule over the 
brethren, and so powerful was his own beautiful 
example of religious virtue, that the exercise of au- 
thority became a needless thing in that great united 
family, and submission to their beloved superior 
proved naught save a pleasant duty. St. Maximus 
was twice elected bishop of neighboring sees. The 
first time he took to flight; but being compelled 
at last to accept the bishopric of Riez, he discharged 
the office with his characteristic benignity, and died 
in 460, universally regretted. 



Of all Heaven's gifts, the sweetest, 
Sure, is peace, — the sweetest and the best. 
From the Portuguese 0/ Sister Violante Do Ceo. 



Favorite Practice. 

Sweetness to inferiors. 

367 



HOYEMBEI^ 28. 



ST. STEPHEN THE YOUNGER, Martyr. 

JITN the eighth century of the Christian era, St. 

jlf Stephen surnamed the Younger (doubtless to 
^^ distinguish him from St. Stephen the Proto- 
martyr), was abbot of the monastery of St. Auxentius 
in Bithynia. He was famous for his virtues and his 
miracles; but because he opposed himself with great 
zeal and energy to the Iconoclast, Constantine Co- 
pronymus and a council of heretical bishops, he was 
sentenced to banishment. " You would take it ill," 
said he to the Iconoclasts, "were I to insult the 
image of the emperor; and you would have me cast 
into the flames the image of my Lord!" Subse- 
quently the emperor caused him to be imprisoned 
and tortured, after which his wounded body was 
dragged along the public streets. His skull was frac- 
tured at last by a heavy club, and his martyrdom thus 
effected, in the year 764. 



Nor heed the shaft too surely cast, 
The hissing, stinging - bolt of scorn; 

For with thy side shall dwell at last 
The victory of endurance born. 

William Cullen Bryant. 



Favorite Practice. 

A zeal to protect holy images from insult or disrespect, 
368 



ftOYEMBEI^ 29. 



ST. SATURNINUS, Martyr. 

I T. SATURNINUS was the companion and 
co-laborer of St. Denis when the latter was 
sent by Pope St. Fabian, in the third century, 
to evangelize Gaul. He became bishop of Toulouse, 
and to his presence in that region the pagans attrib- 
uted the fact that their oracles were deprived of 
speech. Exasperated by the silence of the idols in 
their famous temple of the Capitol, they seized and 
dragged Saturninus to the spot and commanded him 
either to adore the false gods or restore to them their 
lost power. The brave bishop boldly told them that 
their gods were demons who were reduced to silence 
by the presence of the missionary of the true God. 
11 How then," he questioned, " can you expect me to 
adore them?" The populace, enraged at this ques- 
tion, fell upon him and maltreated him in a terrible 
manner. They pierced him with a lance, and then 
tying him to the tail of a wild bull, the martyr was 
torn to pieces. This was about the year 250. 



Imprint, O Lord, Thy wounds upon my heart, 
That I therein Thy grief and love may see: 
Grief to endure for Thee all other griefs; 
Love to renounce all other loves for Thee. 

From " Children of the Golden Sheaf." 



Favorite Practice. 

Great courage in discountenancing superstitious prac- 
tices. 

369 



HOVEMBEI? 30. 



\5 



ST. ANDREW, the Apostle. 

T. ANDREW was the brother of St. Peter and, 
^\ like him, a fisherman. He was a disciple of 
St. John the Baptist, but on hearing him say 
one day, "Behold the Lamb of God!" pointing as 
he did so to our Blessed Lord, he immediately fol- 
lowed Him, and was the first called of the Apostles. 
He lost no time, after that, in bringing his brother to 
our Lord, who admitted him among His disciples, 
and changed his name from Simon to that of Peter. 
St. Andrew carried the light of the Gospel into 
Scythia, Sogdiana, Colchis, Epirus, Pontus, and 
Achaia. He was apprehended by Egeas, the pro- 
consul, imprisoned, and most cruelly beaten. He 
was crucified at Patras, in Achaia, on a cross in the 
form of the letter X; and after hanging on it for two 
days, preaching to the people, he gave up his blessed 
soul, encompassed by a great light, a.d. 69. 



... I tasted all the sweets of sacrifice; 
I kissed my cross a thousand times a day, 
I hung and bled upon it in my dreams, 
I lived on it,— I loved it to the last. 

Father Ryan. 



Favorite Practice. 

To say often with St. Andrew, " I salute thee; ever- 
precious Cross /" 

370 



geceralxcr. 



Rapturd, cries December hoar, 

" Queen conceivd without the stain 
Of the sin of Adam, — reign 

O'er our hearts forever more /" 

E. C. D. 



371 



December i. 



ST. ELOI, Bishopo 

1 T. ELOI was originally a goldsmith, and comp- 
troller of the public revenue to King Clothaire 
II. He was so skilful, so just and pious, that 
he was the admiration not only of the king and his 
court, but of the entire people. Called to a more per- 
fect life, Eloi gave himself to two years of retreat, 
study, and penance; and after having been ordained 
a priest, he was elevated to the bishopric of Noyon in 
638. His diocese abounded with pagans and, still 
worse, with nominal Christians who were sunk in the 
abominations of pagan superstition. For twenty 
years, the faithful shepherd of Noyon labored with 
unflagging zeal to convert and reform these wretched 
men. His life was often in peril, but his heroic fer- 
vor overcame all obstacles, and he rested happily 
from his successful labors on Dec. 1, 659, at the age 
of seventy. 



O ye blind, your gods are worthless, 
Things of stone and clay and wood. 

See ! an old man's arm unaided 
Overthrew them where they stood. 

Sara Trainer Smith. 



Favorite Practice. 

To pander seriously the full significance of the first 
commandment of God. 

373 



December 2. 



ST. BIBIANA, Virgin and Martyr. 

>IBIANA and Demetria were the daughters of 
o r |x) Flavian, governor of Rome, by his wife Da- 
te 7 ^ frosa. Flavian was exiled and afterwards 
martyred by Julian the Apostate because of his ad- 
herence to the faith of Christ. His two daughters 
were despoiled of their property and left for five 
months to the rigors of poverty. They suffered their 
privations calmly and uncomplainingly. But when De- 
metria stood to confess her faith before the judge Ap- 
ronian, she expired from exhaustion, literally starved 
to death. Bibiana, on her part, resisted bravely all 
threats, promises, and allurements of the flesh where- 
with she was tempted by her enemies, and preserved 
her precious faith and virginity intact. She was or- 
dered by the baffled judge to be bound to the stake 
and beaten to death with rods. He ordered, also, 
that her body be devoured by wild beasts; but a priest 
rescued the remains of the martyr, and gave them 
Christian burial. She suffered Dec. 2, a.d. 362. 



A noble type of good — 
Heroic womanhood. 

H. W. Longfellow. 



Favorite Practice. 

To beg God to give us the grace to suffer every priva- 
tion sooner than co??i??iit sin. 
374 



December a 



ST. FRANCIS XAVIER, Confessor. 

fT. FRANCIS XAVIER, known as the Apostle 
of the Indies, was born in 1505 of a most il- 
lustrious family, whose castle was in the Py- 
renees. He was sent to study at the college of St. 
Barbara at Paris. Here he became the friend and 
associate of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Xavier was of a 
gay, ardent temperament, and enamored with the 
charms of worldly glory; but St. Ignatius repeated to 
him so often the text from the Gospel, " What doth 
it profit a man to gain the whole world and suffer the 
loss of his own soul?" that St. Francis began to think 
more seriously of eternity and of the things thereof. 
He at last yielded his great heart completely to God, 
and, in conjunction with Ignatius, founded the Society 
of Jesus. He preached the Gospel in the Indies and 
Japan with marvellous success, and his labors were 
attended with many miracles. He died whilst strug- 
gling in his burning zeal to carry the faith into China, 
breathing his last on the little island of Sancian on 
Dec. 3, 1552. He was only in t his forty-sixth year, but 
had reaped his harvest of immortal souls by the hun- 
dreds of thousands. 



Thy history is fitly told 

By seraph-scribes alone; 
Thy deeds they write in living light 

O'er Love's eternal throne. 

Miss Skidmore. 



Favorite Practice. 

To pray for the conversion of idolaters and un- 
believers. 

375 



December & 



ST. BARBARA, Virgin and Martyr. 

I ARBARA of Nicomedia was a beautiful young 
virgin of the third century who had been 
te^r* brought up secretly in the Christian faith. 
She is said to have been instructed and baptized 
by a disciple of the famous Origen. Her father 
Dioscorus, being a headstrong supporter of paganism, 
chanced to discover his daughter's exalted views. A 
violent fit of rage on his part was the consequence, 
but his threats and tears were alike unable to shake 
the maiden's constancy. So he shut her up in a strong- 
tower and kept her imprisoned there. The persecu- 
tion of Maximianus being in progress at the time, and 
Barbara remaining faithful to Christ, her father him- 
self denounced her to the judges. She was put to the 
torture, racked, mutilated, burnt with red-hot coals, 
and her limbs dislocated. But as she bravely sub 
mitted to all, she was beheaded Dec. 4, A.D. 303. 



Her look composed, and steadfast eye, 
Bespoke a matchless constancy. 

Sir Walter Scott. 



Favorite Practice. 

To reflect that one's enemies, in a spiritual sense, are 
sometimes those of one's household. 
376 



December g. 



ST. NICETUS, Bishop. 

#NE of the most celebrated bishops of Gaul, in 
the sixth century of the Christian era, was 
the eloquent and zealous Nicetus of Treves. 
His famous letter to Queen Clodosinde, wife of Al- 
boin, the Arian king of the Lombards, abounds with 
powerful arguments, contrasting the abundant fruits 
of Christianity with the barren results of Arianism. 
"To procure the conversion of Alboin" (he writes to 
that royal lady), " do what your ancestress, Clothilde, 
accomplished for the conversion of Clovis. And if 
the king hesitates as to the truth let him send to the 
Church of St. Martin of Tours; there his envoys will 
behold the blind restored to sight; the deaf to hear- 
ing; the dumb to speech; and the lepers to health." 
St. Nicetus slept in the Lord, full of days and good 
works, about the year 566. 



... To press still onward in the race, 
And see, beyond, the heav'nly domes o'erpast, 
Or watch their golden summits fade away ! 

Anna T. Sadlii'.r. 



Favorite Practice. 

To prove your faith by deeds, not by empty words. 
377 



December (§. 



ST. NICHOLAS, Bishop of Myra. 

^T. NICHOLAS was bishop of Myra, in Lycia, 
in the beginning of the fourth century. His 
humility and extraordinary charity and ten- 
derness to the poor acquired for him such a reputa- 
tion of sanctity and influence with God that, even 
during his lifetime, his name was frequently invoked 
by his people in moments of danger. Once espe- 
cially, when a fisherman's bark was on the point of 
sinking, the sailors cried, ' ' Bishop of Myra, save us !" 
Immediately one who bore the outward guise of St. 
Nicholas appeared, walking on the water, and led 
the boat safely to land. The sailors w r ent to return 
thanks to the bishop, who humbly replied, " It was 
not I." St. Nicholas died about 327. He is the ori- 
ginal of the great Santa Klaus, so dear to childish 
hearts. 



Sweet saint of God, and well-beloved of men ! 
On earth, with steadfast feet, the ways of God 
By thee in peace and love and joy were trod. 

Miss Susan L. Emery. 



Favorite Practice. 

Secret alms to the deserving poor. 
378 



December z. 



ST. AMBROSE, Bishop and Doctor. 

VV£? T. AMBROSE was the son of Ambrose, a pre- 
y^^ feet of Gaul, and was born at Treves in the 
^"^ year 340. He studied successfully at Rome, 
and was later appointed prefect of yEmilia and Li- 
guria, taking up his residence at Milan. The bish- 
opric of that city becoming vacant shortly after, Am- 
brose was elected, in a remarkable and almost mirac- 
ulous manner, to fill that important office. With a 
noble courage, he rebuked the emperor Theodosius for 
the massacre of the Thessalonicans, and would not 
allow him to enter the church until he had done pen- 
ance for his sin. This, the last great emperor of 
Rome consented to do, and humbly knelt in sackcloth 
and ashes at the door of the cathedral of Milan. St. 
Ambrose was an instrument of God in the conversion 
of the renowned Augustine. He baptized the latter 
in Milan, and, on that occasion composed, with his 
new disciple, the Te Deitm, so famous as a hymn of 
praise in the Church of God. St. Ambrose died April 

4, a.d. 397. 

♦ 

. . . Bees . . . 

Thronged in and out, .... 
And in the sleeping - baby's mouth 
Their nectar sweet deposited, 
As chanced to Ambrose, once, of old. 
From the Italian o/¥r. Giovanni Cotta, O.S.A., by E. C. D. 



Favorite Practice. 

Frequent recitation of the Te Deu?n. 
379 



December 8. 



THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE 
B. V. MARY. 

fHIS great festival commemorates the still 
greater privilege of the Blessed Virgin Mary 
^^ in being conceived without stain of original 
sin in the womb of her mother, St. Anne. It was 
befitting the dignity and the office of the Mother of 
God that she should not have been permitted to be, 
for a single instant of her existence, under the ban 
of God's wrath or under the thraldom of the Demon 
whose head she was destined to crush. To her, were 
addressed the prophetic words of Holy Writ, " Thou 
art all fair, my beloved, and there is no spot in thee !" 
The Festival of the Immaculate Conception was first 
kept as a feast of devotion by St. Anselm, archbishop 
of Canterbury, in 1070; and, as such, was enjoined 
by Sixtus IV., a.d. 1476, to be generally observed 
throughout the Church. The dogma of the Immac- 
ulate Conception was defined by his late Holiness 
Pius IX., by whom the feast was made one of obli- 
gation. 

■ «♦ 

Oh, shine on us brighter than ever, then shine ! 
For the primest of honors, dear Mother, is thine; 
" Conceived without sin," thy new title shall be, 
Clear light from thy birth-spring, sweet Star of the Sea ! 

Father Faber. 



Favorite Practice. 

To say, morning, noon, and night, " O Mary, con- 
ceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to 

thee!" 

380 



December 9. 



ST. LEOCADIA, Martyr. 

tHE Spanish saint Leocadia was a native of To- 
ledo, of which city she is now the renowned 
patroness. She was a devoted friend of St. 
Eulalia of Spain; and having heard in prison (where 
she had been incarcerated for the faith of Christ), of 
Eulalia's glorious martyrdom, Leocadia thirsted for 
a like end, and earnestly prayed to be united to her 
friend by a similar blessed death. Her prayer was 
granted. The persecution of Diocletian was in pro- 
gress, and Leocadia was dragged before the governor 
Dacian. He caused her to be cast into chains, tor- 
tured with horrible atrocity, and then thrown again 
into her dungeon, where she expired from her multi- 
plied sufferings. This was on April 26. Three of 
the grandest churches in Spain are dedicated to St. 
Leocadia. 



Ah! then my soul should know, 

Beloved, where Thou liest at noon of day; 

And, from this place of woe 

Released, should take its way, 
To mingle with Thy flock and never stray. 
From the Spanish o/¥r.\ Luis Ponce De Leon, O.S.A. 



Favorite Practice. 

To familiarize yourself with the sense of those words, 
" / desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ." 
381 



December 10. 



ST. MELCHIADES, Pope. 

T. MELCHIADES, or Miltiades, succeeded Eu- 
sebius in the see of Rome on July 2, 311, in the 
reign of Maxentius. The following year 
marked the victory of Constantine over that .tyrant, 
and the free exercise of the Christian religion was the 
result of the great emperor's installation. But though 
this rejoiced the heart of Pope Melchiades, he had 
the affliction to see the seamless robe of Christ 
rent by the schism of the Donatists in Africa. The 
schismatics made an appeal to Constantine, but he 
wisely referred all to the Sovereign Pontiff and his 
bishops. St. Melchiades opened a council in the La- 
teran Palace on October 2, 313, at which Donatus of 
Casa-nigra, leader of the schism, was the only person 
condemned, the other bishops who adhered to him 
being allowed to retain their sees upon renouncing 
the schism. The holy Pontiff died on January 10, 314; 
and although the Donatists endeavored after his death 
to asperse his memory, St. Austin declares their scan- 
dalous charge to be a groundless and malicious cal- 
umny. 



A name and a fame above the blight 

Of earthly breath; 
Beautiful, beautiful and bright, 

In life and death. 

Mrs. Hemans. 



Favorite Practice. 

To love the sinner whilst you zealously hate the sin. 
382 



December n. 



ST. DAMASUS, Pope and Martyr. 

i T. DAMASUS was only a deacon of the 
Church at the period when the Arian emperor 
Constantius sent into banishment the reign- 
ing Pontiff, Liberius. Filled with horror of the Arian 
heresy, the holy deacon bound himself by a solemn 
oath never to enter into a compromise with any schis- 
matical successor who might be put forward to usurp 
the Chair of Peter. In course of time, Damasus 
was himself chosen for the great office of Sovereign 
Pontiff. He brought to the weighty position all the 
firmness and energy of his native character. His 
heavenly zeal reformed many grave abuses, and, with 
the sword of the Spirit, he proved himself an heroic 
adversary against the schisms which prevailed in that 
day. One of his wisest and most learned counsellors 
in his difficult duty was the famous St. Jerome. St. 
Damasus was martyred in 384. 



Laying the outlines deep and broad 
Of an infant Church, he daily trod 
His path in the visible sight of God. 

Thomas D'Arcy McGee. 



Favorite Practice. 

Pray God daily to increase the purity and strength of 
your gift of faith. 

383 



December 12. 



ST. SYNESIUS, Martyr. 

1TT^\ URING the pontificate of Sixtus II. Synesius 
j_^v/ was ordained Lector, an office ranking third 
^^^ in degree of the Sacrament of Holy Order, 
and from that time began to read the epistles and the 
prescriptions and ordinances of the spiritual pastors 
to the assembled faithful. As he converted many un- 
believers and discharged the duties of his office with 
remarkable fruit, he was denounced, because of his 
zeal, to the emperor Aurelian. Synesius confessed 
the faith with heroic fervor and constancy, and, after 
being tortured in various ways, was beheaded in 270. 
Thus the humble Lector glorified God, and converted 
souls by the exact performance of his simple duties. 



..." Amid the din of joy, fair Virtue sighs, 
While the fierce conqueror binds his impious head 
With laurel, and the car of triumph rolls.'" 
Thus I; when, radiant 'fore my wondering eyes, 
A heavenly spirit stood, and smiling said, 
11 Blind moralist! is earth the sphere of souls?" 
From the Spanish of Rev. Baktolome Leonardo Argensola. 



Favorite Practice. 

To do w hat you do with all diligence and perfection. 
384 



December 13. 



ST. LUCY, Virgin and Martyr. 

?T[T was in the reign of Diocletian and Maximian 
5|f that the Christian virgin Lucy dwelt with her 
^~> mother, Eutychia, in the city of Syracuse. She 
had made secretly a vow of chastity, but at the age 
of fourteen her relatives betrothed her to a pagan 
youth of Syracuse who was both rich and noble. 
The widowed Eutychia had long suffered from dis- 
ease, and the holy maiden, inspired by Heaven, 
urged her to visit the tomb of St. Agatha for the 
restoration of her health. Eutychia complied; and 
having obtained her cure, felt moved to allow her 
daughter to remain unmarried and to bestow her 
dowry upon the poor. Lucy's pagan lover, how- 
ever, became enraged at the loss of his promised 
bride, and denounced her as a Christian to the gov- 
ernor Pascasius. The infamous judge condemned 
the virgin to a house of bad repute; but neither the 
pagan soldiers nor magicians could constrain the 
maid to enter that den of Satan. After passing un- 
scathed through an additional trial by fire, she was 
pierced in the throat by a poniard, and won the crown 
of the martyr, Dec. 13, 303. 



She is so perfect, true, and pure, 
Her virtue all virtues so endears. 

Coventry Patmore. 

Favorite Practice. 

Do your duty, and God Himself will strengthen 
your weakness. 

385 



December i& 



ST. SPIRIDION, Bishop and Confessor. . 

^HE diocese of St. Spiridion, bishop of Tremi- 
thontes, in the fourth century, was very small, 
poor, and, of sparse population, his flock con- 
sisting either of shepherds or husbandmen. The 
good old bishop therefore devoted himself, in his 
leisure moments, to either tending the sheep or till- 
ing the soil, and was only to be distinguished from 
his simple people by the greater sanctity and mor- 
tification of his humble life. His charity was ex- 
traordinary, and his hospitality unbounded. During 
the persecution of Maximian he bravely confessed 
the faith, and was exiled, in consequence, to the 
mines. St. Spiridion, though simple in manner as a 
little child, possessed a profound and cultured mind. 
He was one of the prelates at the councils of Nicsea 
and Sarrica, and was the champion of St. Athanasius 
at the latter. He was granted the gift of miracles, 
and died about the year 34S. 



Ye ask how Wisdom thus can play in children's guise? 
Why, Wisdom is a child: so's every man that's wise. 

From the German of Rev. Fr. J. Scheffler. 



Favorite Practice. 

Tu7'n your daily labor into prayer. 
386 



December i£. 



ST. PAUL, Hermit. 

yv[l^ ^' PAUL, an anchorite of Bithynia, had be- 
v^^ taken himself to Mount Latre in order to lead 
*"^ a life of greater seclusion and more perfect 
union with God. Here he gave himself to prayer 
and penance, subsisting solely upon roots, herbs, and 
nuts, and drinking only of the stream which flowed 
near his cave. But his Divine Master, seeing the 
generosity of His servant's soul, sent him many ter- 
rible temptations and trials in the midst of the soli- 
tude. Distrusting himself completely, and relying 
confidently on the power of God, St. Paul made use 
of the weapons of prayer, mortification, and continual 
vigilance, and by them triumphed over all the snares 
of the arch-enemy. After this severe conflict he be- 
came the founder of several monasteries. His coun- 
sel was sought by pontiffs and prelates; and even the 
highest princes of the age addressed themselves to 
him for advice. He died in 956. 



My tears shall be my wine, 

My bed a craggy rock; 
My harmony the serpent's hiss, 

The screeching owl my clock. 

Rev. Father Southwell, S.J. 



Favorite Practice. 

To distrust yourself 1 even when entirely alone. 
387 



December i<§. 



ST. ADONIUS, Bishop, 

Mpr-^ I RST a pious monk of Ferrieres, and later ab- 
Cj|Tlr bot of Prom, the holy Adonius was finally 
«-^-?t elevated to the archbishopric of Vienne in 
Dauphine, and became the counsellor, in turn, of 
the Pope Nicholas I., and of the kings Charles the 
Bald, and Louis of Germany. Prior to his episcopal 
consecration, Adonius had been the victim of hatred 
and calumny, and had been for a time a voluntary 
exile. But God thus grounded him in practical hu- 
mility in preparation for the exalted position which 
awaited him. He executed a thorough reform in his 
diocese. His own personal example to his clergy and 
people was one of persevering mortification and rec- 
ollection, and his life seemed one continual prayer. 
To the practice of high sanctity, he united the culti- 
vation of ecclesiastical learning and polite literature. 
St. Adonius lived to a ripe age, and died about Dec. 
16, 875. 



. . . This punishment on earth is given 
That my pure soul may rise to endless bliss in heaven. 
From the French of Mary Stuart, Queen of the Scots. 



Favorite Practice. 

Recollection of the Divine Presence in distracting 
duties. 

388 



December 17. 

ST. OLYMPIADA, Widow. 

( T the tender age of seventeen the young 
Olympiada found herself a widow of im- 
mense wealth. Offers of marriage were made 
to her by some of the most illustrious courtiers of the 
emperor Theodosius, but Olympiada preferred to re- 
main what St. Paul terms " a widow indeed." She 
placed herself under the spiritual direction of St. 
John Chrysostom; and her alms to the poor were 
so abundant, and her austerities so extreme, that 
her director was often obliged to check her pious 
indiscretions. Of course, as a favorite child of 
Heaven, the young widow met with prolonged perse- 
cutions; and she shed so many tears that St. Chry- 
sostom averred that her tears and her charities might 
have formed, if united, a vast river. Having given 
all her revenues to the indigent, she was despoiled 
of her estates because of her faith, by the order of 
the prefect of Constantinople. She passed from a 
state of holy poverty to the possession of eternal 
riches in the year 410. 



. . .Feeling naught of fear, — 
In beauty beaming (bright as heaven's skies), 
For Him who deems the humble heart full wise. 

Joseph W. S. Norris. 



Favorite Practice. 

Strive to lay up treasures whei'e neither rust nor 
moth can consume. 

389 



December is. 



THE EXPECTATION OF THE BLESSED VIR- 
GIN MARY. 

. 'ESUS is united with His Blessed Mother," 

jp 

f\ says the devout Nouet, "as the fruit with 

the tree that produces it: with this difference, 
that the fruit draws its nourishment from the tree 
that bears it, whilst Jesus communicates His perfec- 
tions, inclinations, and desires to the Blessed Virgin. 
The first desire she forms by the inspiration of her 
divine Son (hidden in her chaste womb) is to give 

Him to men as their Saviour and Redeemer 

The second desire of the Blessed Virgin is to see 

Jesus The third is to serve Jesus Christ as 

her Son and her God Consider the day well 

employed if you can, by frequent acts, enkindle in 
your heart the desire of serving God, of seeing God, 
and of communicating to the whole world the knowl- 
edge and love of God and of Jesus Christ His only 
Son." 



She will come, our Lady/}*// of grace, 

To her place; 
She will come, and tell how Jesu's veins 
Took from hers the sparkling Blood . . . 

... Its human tide 
In Himself Godhead's self allied. 

Eliza Allen Starr. 



Favorite Practice. 

A fervent act of desire for the birth of Christ in all 
hearts. 

390 



December la 



ST. NEMESIAN, Martyr. 

tO WARDS the middle of the third century there 
dwelt in the neighborhood of Alexandria, a 
pious Christian student whose days were 
sanctified by works of charity. Some wicked per- 
sons, misunderstanding his secluded life, accused him 
of being a brigand. Nemesian (for such was his 
name) readily proved the falsity of this slander. 
''Then," said his enemies, "you must be a Chris- 
tian!'' " Ah !"' returned the good confessor, " this time 
I do not intend to justify myself ; I am a Christian, 
and mean to remain so." Brought before the prefect 
of Alexandria, Xemesian was ranked by that official. 
in a blind fury, as one of the worst of criminals. He 
was condemned to be burned at the stake with sev- 
eral others. Four soldiers w r ho were present at the 
martyrdom, having manifested some feeling at the 
terrible sufferings of the victims, were ordered by the 
tyrant to be beheaded. This was during the perse- 
cution of Decius, about the year 250. 



But some looked heavenward, and smiled, clear-eyed, 
Through sunbright riftings of the mists of pain. 

"Our word has come !" they cried, and gave the strain. 
M Wait on the Lord ! Ye shall be satisfied !" 

Sara Trainer Smith. 



Favorite Practice. 

To justify yourself only where your silence might 
give scandal. 

391 



December 20. 

ST. PHILOGONUS, Bishop. 

*HE holy priest Philogonus was appointed to the 
see of Antioch in the year 318. His life in 
the episcopate was an exemplar of sanctity to 
his entire flock. He was noted for his charity and 
zeal, and was a determined opponent of Arianism. 
The purity and heroism of his faith were practically 
demonstrated when he ranked among the brave con- 
fessors of the Church during the persecution of Max- 
imian. Philogonus only governed the see of Antioch 
five years; but when he slept in the Lord, in 323, he 
left the affairs of his diocese in a most prosperous 
condition. His panegyric was pronounced by the 
renowned sacred orator, St. John Chrysostom. 



Stronger than steel 

Is the sword of the Spirit; 

Swifter than arrows 

The light of the truth is; 

Greater than anger 

Is love, and subdueth ! 

Henry W Longfellow. 



Favorite Practice. 

To often repeat in your daily tasks t * ' Not how muck, 

but how well" 

392 



December 21. 



ST. THOMAS, Apostle. 

I T. THOMAS was one of the twelve Apostles of 
Christ. He was absent when our Lord ap- 
peared to His assembled disciples on the 
evening after His resurrection from the dead. Be- 
ing told by the rest that they had seen the Lord, 
he said he would not believe unless he saw in His 
hands the print of the nails, and put his finger 
into the place of the nails, and put his hand into 
His side. This incredulity of St. Thomas was per- 
mitted by God to furnish an indisputable proof of 
the reality of Christ's resurrection. For the Lord 
appearing again to the disciples on the following Sun- 
day, and St. Thomas being present, Jesus conde- 
scended to the weakness of the Apostle, inviting 
him to touch His sacred wounds, and to be not faith- 
less but believing. St. Thomas, overwhelmed with 
awe and gratitude, cried out, " My Lord and my God!" 
After Pentecost, he preached the Gospel to the Par- 
thians, Medes, Persians, and Hyrcanians. He then 
went into India, where he evangelized the people until 
his happy martyrdom. He was thrust through the 
body with lances, and gave up his blessed soul at Ca- 
lamina, a.d. 44. 

O God, my God, whom I adore and love: 
To say my God is joy all joys above. 

Eugenie de Glerin. 

Favorite Practice. 

Frequent acts of faith in the Divinity of our Lord. 
393 



December 22. 



ST. THEMISTOCLES, Martyr. 

l N the heights near Myra, in Lycia, there dwelt 
in the third century a simple shepherd named 
r<Lj&y> Themistocles. Whilst he tended his flocks 
in that solitary place he gave himself continually to 
prayer and meditation. One day a Christian named 
Dioscorus, pursued by the persecutors, fled up the 
rocky steep and sought a refuge in the retreat of The- 
mistocles. The fugitive was tracked to the spot, and 
the shepherd was commanded to deliver up the vic- 
tim. But Themistocles heroically refused, at his own 
peril, to betray the trust reposed in him. When 
pressed closely for a reason for his resistance alike to 
the promises and threats of the pursuers, the humble 
shepherd openly avowed that he himself was a Chris- 
tian. This was enough. He was arrested at once, 
and led before the governor of the province. The 
tortures to which the confessor was subjected were 
most inhuman. He was alternately scourged, racked, 
and dragged, all wounded as he was, over sharp flints 
and potsherds. He expired in the midst of these 
sufferings, the date of his martyrdom being about the 

year 250. 

+ 

His words are bonds, his oaths are oracles, 
His love sincere, his thoughts immaculate. 

Shakspeare. 



Favorite Practice. 

A fraternal love which is ti'uly pure y because disin- 
terested. 

394 



December 23. 



ST, VICTORIA, Virgin and Martyr. 

^ x 7:ICTORIA was a young Christian virgin who 
W ^ led a life of singular holiness, in the third cen- 
1 S> tury. She had espoused herself to Christ by 
the vow of chastity, and, by her beautiful example, 
enkindled an additional fervor in those of her young 
companions who had bound themselves likewise to 
perpetual virginity. God accorded her' the gift of 
miracles, and the fame of her sanctity spread over the 
city of Rome. But the hour of her trial was near at 
hand. Her parents, without Victoria's knowledge, 
had promised her in marriage to the pagan Eugenius. 
When the suitor pressed her to marry him, however, 
and the maiden firmly refused his addresses, Euge- 
nius went himself and denounced her to the judge. 
She was tortured before the eyes of that revengeful 
pagan, but bravely refused to sacrifice her faith or her 
virginity. Eugenius, inflamed with angry hatred, cla- 
mored for her death, and caused the virgin martyr to 
be pierced to the heart by the hand of the execu- 
tioner. This was during the persecution of Decius, 
in the year 250. 

But the Lord Himself was with her to pity her and love her; 
Earthly lover shared not her maiden heart with Him, 
And the gentle Virgin Mother and the angels bent above her, 
And their glory brightened round her as the lights of time grew 
dim. 

Katharine E. Conway. 



Favorite Practice. 

Neither take nor break lightly a solemn vo7u or pledge. 
395 



December 24 



ST. THRASILLA, Virgin. 

IT. THRASILLA was the aunt of St. Gregory 
the Great. In her early youth she conse- 
crated her virginity to God, and thenceforth 
led a life of devotion and service to the poor. In her 
good works, prayers, and penances she found a fer- 
vent co-laborer in her sister St. Emiliana, who emu- 
lated Thrasilla's pious zeal. Their single-hearted 
constancy in the practice of perfection was so pleasing 
to God that He revealed to them before death that 
they were admitted to the glory of the saints. Their 
deceased uncle, the holy pontiff Felix, appeared to 
Thrasilla, saying to her, "Come, I will lead thee to 
the realms of bliss." At the moment of death she 
had a consoling vision of our Lord Jesus Christ, and 
expired happily on the vigil of Christmas Day. 



Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind! 

Each pray'r accepted, and each wish resigned. 

Grace shines around her with serenest beams, 
And whisp'ring angels prompt her golden dreams. 

Alexander Pope. 



Favorite Practice. 

To promote a holy union of good works in one's house- 
hold. 

396 



December 2&. 



NATIVITY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. 

" A^ ND it came to pass that in those days there 
c^— ^° went out a decree from Caesar Augustus 
c-^ysr- that the whole world should be enrolled. 
. . . And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out 
of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of 
David, which is called Bethlehem, (because he 
was of the house and family of David,) to be 
enrolled with Mary his espoused wife, who was 
with child. And it came to pass, that, when they 
were there, her days were acco -uplished that she 
would be delivered. And she brought forth her first- 
born son, and wrapped him in swaddling-clothes, and 
laid him in a manger; because there was no room 
for them in the inn." — St. Luke ii. 1-7. 



The song- through all heaven's arches ran, 

And told the wondrous tale aloud ; 
The trembling fire that looked so wan, 

The weeping sun behind the cloud: 
A God — a God become a Man ! 

A mortal Man become a God ! 
From Sister Violante Do Ceo {styled the Tenth 
Muse of Portugal). 



Favorite Practice. 

To hear three Masses on this glorious festival of 
Christmas. 

397 



December m. 



ST. STEPHEN, Protomartyr. 

vCS^ TEPHEN was one of the seven deacons chosen 
v^N by the Apostles after the descent of the Holy 
<^^ Ghost. He announced the Gospel with such 
zeal and power that the wrath of the Jews was en- 
kindled, and they dragged him before the judges, and 
preferred false charges against him. And speak- 
ing, Stephen confessed Christ, and openly rebuked 
the deicides there assembled. "And hearing these 
things" (says the Acts of the Apostles), "they 
were cut to the heart; and they gnashed with their 
teeth at him. . . . And he said, Behold, I see the 
heavens opened, and the Son of man standing at 
the right hand of God. And they, crying out with a 
loud voice, stopped their ears, and with one accord 
rushed in violently upon him. And having cast him 
out of the city, they stoned him, invoking and say- 
ing, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And kneeling 
down, he cried out with a loud voice, saying, Lord, 
lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had 
said this, he fell asleep in the Lord." This was 

a.d. 34. 

*- 

The lighter hardship, longer borne of a true Christian life, 
Help us, sweet saint, to fight that fight and conquer in the 
strife. 

Rev. Matthew Russell, S.J* 



Favorite Practice. 

When tempted to revenge, repeat the dying prayer of 
St. Stephen. 

398 



December 27. 

ST. JOHN, Apostle and Evangelist. 



•^•j 



>Q"^T. JOHN, styled by excellence the Beloved 
v^J Disciple, was the brother of St. James the 
^^ Great. He was young when called to the 
apostolate, and survived our Lord seventy years. It 
was on his bosom that Jesus reposed at the Last Sup- 
per, and it was to his care that the Blessed Virgin 
was committed at the foot of the Cross. St. John is 
styled a martyr because, in the second general perse- 
cution of Domitian, he was cast into a caldron of boil- 
ing oil before the Latin gate. He came forth unhurt, 
and was banished for about the space of a year to the 
isle of Patmos, where he was favored with the Reve- 
lations, known to us as the Apocalypse of St. John. 
He wrote his Gospel after the other Evangelists, and 
many things that they had omitted were supplied by 
him. St. John both founded and governed the 
churches of Asia. Finally consumed with divine 
love, he died at Ephesus at the age of 93 years, 
exclaiming, to his last breath, "Little children, love 
one another !" 



Oh, to breathe forth my soul's desire, 
My burning- love, with lips of fire ! 
Until that moment draweth nigh, 
I die, because I cannot die. 

Front the Spanish of St. Teresa D'Avila. 



Favorite Practice. 

With St. John, to cast yourself every day into the 
burning furnace of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. 
399 



DECEMBER 2-8. 



THE HOLY INNOCENTS. 

" : yV^ XD when the wise men were departed, be- 
.^J~Y ^°ld, an angel of the Lord appeared in 
^vi>>^ sleep to Joseph, saying. Arise, and take the 
child and his mother, and fly into Egypt, and be there 
until I shall tell thee: for it will come to pass that 
Herod will seek the child to destroy him. Who ris- 
ing up, took the child and his mother by night, and 
retired into Egypt. . . . Then Herod, perceiving that 
he was deluded by the wise men. was exceeding- 
angry; and sending, killed all the men-children that 
were in Bethlehem, and in all the confines thereof, 
from two years old and under, according to the time 
which he had diligently inquired of the wise men. 
Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Tere- 
mias the prophet, saying, A voice in Rama was 
heard, lamentation and great mourning; Rachael 
bewailing her children, and would not be comforted, 
because they are not/' — St. Matthew ii. 13-19. 



Trailing clouds of glory do we come. 
From God who is our home. 
Heaven lies about us in our infancy. 

Wm. Wordsworth. 



Favorite Practice. 
To endeavor zealously to prevent the spiritual slaugh- 
ter of the innocents so common in our day. 



DEGBMBEI^ 29. 



ST. THOMAS OF CANTERBURY, Bishop and 
Martyr. 

fHIS eminent man was archbishop of Canter- 
bury under King Henry II. of England. The 
latter not respecting the temporalities and 
immunities of the Church, St. Thomas became the 
fearless champion of religion's rights. He went into 
voluntary exile sooner than yield a principle of jus- 
tice. On his return to his see, the king, finding him 
inflexible as before, in a fit of rage suggested to his 
creatures the despatching of the heroic prelate. His 
angry words were more quickly acted upon than he 
had, doubtless, expected. Four of his courtiers has- 
tened to the cathedral of Canterbury, and there com- 
mitted the atrocious sacrilege, the assassination of 
the holy archbishop. All Europe was horrified at the 
terrible crime. The assassins, one and all, perished 
miserably; and King Henry performed a severe pen- 
ance for his awful sin. This happened in 1170, and 
St. Thomas was canonized three years later by Pope 
Alexander III. 



... A name that long shall hallow all its space, 
And be each purer soul's high resting-place. 

Thomas Moore. 



Favorite Practice 

Prepare yourself to sacrifice your most precious treas- 
ure rather than sacrifice the cause of truth and justice. 
401 



December 30. 



ST. SABINUS AND COMPANIONS, Martyrs. 

^HE persecution of Diocletian was in progress 
in the year 303, when Sabinus, bishop of As- 
sisi, and his two deacons, Marcellus and Eu- 
riperantius, were arrested for the faith. The dea- 
cons were at once put to death by the governor, 
Venustianus; but he only ordered Sabinus to be sub- 
jected to the torture of having his hands cut off. 
When the confessor stood thus mutilated before Ve- 
nustianus, who was suffering at the time with a dis- 
order of the eyes, the latter railed at Sabinus and 
asked him mockingly if he were able in that state to 
cure his eyes. Sabinus raised his heart to God, be- 
seeching this miracle for his persecutor; and at once 
the scales fell not only from the eyes of the body, 
but from the eyes of Venustianus' soul. The gove- 
nor was cured, converted, and soon after suffered 
martyrdom for the faith. His successor in office, 
Lucius, caused Sabinus to be sent to Spoleto and 
there be beaten to death with rods. 



The Lord of our salvation their designs 
O'erturned, and, for the glory of His heaven, 
..... This victory hath given. 

From the Spanish 0/ Fernando De Herrera. 



Favorite Practice. 

Return good for evil. 

402 



December 31. 



ST. SYLVESTER, Pope and Confessor. 

i EFORE the emperor Diocletian published his 
edict of persecution against the Christians, 
Sylvester had been ordained deacon and 
priest by Pope St. Marcellinus. The stormy days 
which followed were full of peril for the Church 
and for her devoted shepherds. But St. Sylvester 
had the happiness to witness the triumph of the faith 
under the emperor Constantine; and when in times 
of security the great councils of Aries and Nicaea 
were convened, although the holy Pope was too feeble 
with age to preside in person, he was represented by 
his faithful legates. His pontificate lasted for twenty 
years and eleven months; and he slept tranquilly in 
the Lord in the year 335. 



. . . And as the old year seeks the goal, 

And nears ihe portals of the past, 
For thee a thought illumes my soul, 

The brightest and the last. 

Mrs. Mary E. Mannix. 



Favorite Practice. 

To review the shortcomings of the old year, and mak 
generous resolutions for the new. 
403 



Index or Saints and Festivals. 



A. 

Abraham, St., March 16. 

Acacius, St., April 9. 

Achard,St., September 15. 

Adonius, St., December 16. 

Agapa and Chionia, Sts., 
April 3. 

Agatha, St., February 5. 

Agnes of Rome, St., January 
21. 

Albin, St., March 1. 

Alexander and Epipodius, 
Sts., April 22. 

Alexis, St., July 17. 

All Saints, Feast of, Novem- 
ber 1. 

All Souls, Commemoration of, 
November 2. 

Aloysius Gonzaga, St., June 
21. 

Alpheus and Companions, 
Sts.. November 18. 

Alphonsus Liguori, St., Au- 
gust 2. 

Amatus. St., September 13. 

Ambrose, St., December 7. 

Andrew, St., November 30. 

Andrew Avellino, St., No- 
vember 10. 

Andrew Corsini, St., Febru- 
ary 4. 

Angels, The Holy Guardian, 
October, 2. 

Anne, St., July 26. 

Annunciation of the Blessed 
Virgin Mary, March 25. 

Anselm, St., April 21. 

Anthony, St., January 17. 

Anthony of Pad ua,St., June 13. 



Antoninus, St., May 10. 
Apparition of St. Michael, 

May 8. 
Aphraates, St., April 7. 
Apollinarus, St., July 23. 
Apollonia, St., February 9. 
Apollonius, St., April 18. 
Arcadius, St., January 12. 
Arthemis, St., October 20. 
Assumption of the Blessed 

Virgin Mary, August 15. 
Athanasius, St., May 2. 
Augustine, St., August 28. 



B. 

Balbina, St., March 31. 
Barbara, St., December 4. 
Barbatus, St., February 19. 
Barnabus, St , June 11. 
Bartholomew, St., August 24. 
Basil, St., June 14. 
Batholda, St., January 30. 
Beheading of St. John Baptist, 

August 29. 
Benedict, St., March 21. 
Benedict, The Solitary, St., 

March 23. 
Bernard, St., August 20. 
Bernardine, St., May 20. 
Bibiana, St., December 2, 
Blaize, St., February 3. 
Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount 

Carmel, July 16. 
Bonaventure, St., July 14. 
Boniface, St., June 5. 
Bridgit, St., October 8. 
Bruno, St., October 6. 



Index op Saints and Festivals. 



Cajetan, St., August 7. 

Callistus, St., October 14. 

Calogerius, St., June 18. 

Casimir, St., March 4. 

Catharine of Alexandria, St., 
November 25. 

Catharine of Sienna, St., 
April 30. 

Catharine of Sweden, March 
22. 

Cecilia, St., November 22. 

Celestine L, St., April 6. 

Ceolfrid. St., September 25. 

Cesarius, St., August 27. 

Charles Borromeo, St., No- 
vember 4. 

Circumcision of our Lord Je- 
sus Christ, January 1. 

Clara, St.. August 12. 

Clement, St., November 23. 

Cletus, St., April 26. 

Clotilda. St., June 3. 

Cloud, St., September 7. 

Colletta, St., March 6. 

Conversion of St. Paul, Janu- 
ary 25. 

Cosmas and Damian, Sts., 
September 27. 

Crispin and Crispinian, Sts., 
October 25. 

Cunegunda. St.. March 3. 

Cuthbert, St., March 20. 

Cyprian, St., September 16. 

Cyprian and Justina, Sts., 
September 26. 

Cyril, St., January 28. 

Cyril, St., May 29. 



D. 

Damasus, St., December n. 
Denys or Dionysius, St., Octo- 
ber 3. 
Denys, St., October 9. 
Desiderius, St., May 23. 
Dominic, St., August 4. 
Dorothy, St., February 6. 
Dunstan, St., May 19. 



Edesius, St., April 8. 
Edmund, St., November 20. 
Edward. St., March 18. 
Edward the Confessor, St., 

October 13. 
Eleutherius. St.. September 6. 
Elizabeth, St., November 5. 
Elizabeth of Hungary, St., 

November 19. 
Elizabeth of Portugal, St., 

July 8. 
Eloi. St., December r. 
Emiliana, St., January 5. 
Encratida. St., April 16. 
Ephrem, St., July 9. 
Epiphany, The, January 6. 
Espousals of B. V. M. and St. 

Joseph, January 23. 
Ethelreda, St., June 23. 
Eucherius, St., November 16. 
Eucherius, St., February 20. 
Eugene, St., July 13. 
Eulalia, St., February 12. 
Eulogius, St., March n. 
Eusebius, St., August 14. 
Eustace and Companions, Sts., 

September 20. 
Evaristus, St., October 26. 
Exaltation of the Holy Cross, 

September 14. 
Expectation of the B.V.Mary, 

December 18. 



Faustinus and Jovita, Sts., 
February 15. 

Felicitas and her Sons, Sts., 
July 10. 

Ferdinand. St., May 30. 

Finding of the Holy Cross, 
May 3. 

Finding of St. Stephen's Rel- 
ics, August 3. 

Flavian, St., February 17. 

Florence, St., June 20. 

Forty Martyrs of Sebaste. 
March 10. 

Francis of Assisi, St., Octc- 
ber 4. 



406 



Index op Saints and Festivals. 



Francis Borgia. St.. October 

10. 
Francis de Sales, St., January 

29. 
Francis of Paula. St., April 2. 
Frances of Rome, St., March 

9- 

Francis Xavier. St., Decem- 
ber 3. 

Frumentius, St., October 27. 



Gabriel, St.. March 24. 
Gal, St., October 16. 
Genevieve. St., January 3. 
George, St., April 23. 
Germain, St., July 30. 
Germain of Paris, St., May 28. 
Gertrude, St., November 15. 
Gervaise and Protase, Sts., 

June 19. 
Giles, St., September 1. 
Goar, St., July 6. 
Gregory Nazianzen, St., May 

9- 
Gregory the Great, St., 

March 12. 
Gregory Thaumaturgus, St., 

November 17. 
Gregory II.. St., February 13. 
Gregory VII., St., May 25. 
Guntran, St., March 28. 

H. 
Hedwige, St., October 17. 
Helen, St., August 18. 
Henry. St., July 15. 
Hermingild, St., April 13. 
Hilary, St., January 14. 
Honoratus, St., January 16. 
Hormisdas. St., August 8. 
Hospitus, St., May 21. 
Hubert. St., November 3. 
Hugh, St., April 1. 
Hyacinth, St., August 16. 

I. 
Ida, St., September 4. 
Ignatius, St., February 1. 
Ignatius Loyola, St., July 31. 



Immaculate Concep. of B. V. 
M., December 8. 

Innocents, the Holy, Decem- 
ber 28. 

Irenaeus, St., June 28. 

Irenaeus, St., xMarch 26. 

Isidore, St., April 4. 

J. 

James the Apostle, St., 
July 25. 

James, Bishop of Nisiba, St., 
July 11. 

Jane Frances de Chantal, St., 
August 21. 

Januarius and Companions, 
Sts., September 19. 

Jerome, St., September 30. 

John, Apostle, St., Decem- 
ber 27. 

John Baptist, St., June 24. 

John, St.. before the Latin 
Gate, May 6. 

JohnClimachus, St., March 30. 

John Chrysostom, St., Jan- 
uary 27. 

John of the Cross, St., Nov- 
ember 24. 

John Francis Regis, St., 
June 16. 

John of God, St., March 8. 

John Gualbert, St., July 12. 

John, Hermit, St., March 27. 

John of Matha, St., Febru- 
arys. 

John Nepomucen, St., May 16. 

John and Paul, Sts., June 26. 

John the Silent, St., May 13. 

Joseph, St., Spouse of B. V. 
M., March 19. 

Jonas and Barachisus, Sts., 
March 29. 

Julia, St., May 22. 

Julian, St. February 27. 

Julian and Companions, Sts., 
January 9. 



Ladislaus, St., June 27. 
Lawrenoe, St., August 10. 



Index of Saints and Festivals. 



Lawrence, St., November 14. 

Lawrence Justinian, St., Sep- 
tember 5. 

Leo, the Great, St., April 11. 

Leo IX, St., April 19. 

Leocadia, St., December 9. 

Leonard, St., November 6. 

Longinus, St., March 15. 

Louis of France, St., Au- 
gust 25. 

Louis of Toulouse, St., Au- 
gust 19. 

Lucian. St., January 7. 

Luke, St., October 18. 

Lupus, St., July 24. 

Lucy, St., December 13. 

M. 

Macarius, St., January 2. 

Macarius, St., April 10. 

Mamertus, St., May 11. 

Mammesius, St., August 17. 

Marcellus, St., October 30. 

Margaret, St., July 20. 

Margaret of Scotland, St., 
June 10. 

Mark the Evangelist, St., 
April 25. 

Mark, St., Pope, October 7. 

Martha, St., July 29. 

Martin of Tours, St., Novem- 
ber 11. 

Mary Magdalen, St., July 22. 

Mary Magdalen of Pazzi, St., 
May 27. 

Matilda, St., March 14. 

Matthew, St., September 21. 

Matthias, St., February 24. 

Maurice, St., September 22. 

Maximus, St., November 27. 

Maximus. St., August 13. 

Medard, St., June 8. 

Melchiades, St., December 10. 

Michael the Archangel, St., 
September 29. 

Monica, St., May 4. 

N. 
Narcissus, St., October 29. 
Nativity of our Lord, J. C, 
DecemDer 25. 



Nativity of the B. V. Mary, 
September 8. 

Nazarius and Celsus, Sts., 
July 28. 

Nemesian, St., December 19. 

Nicander and Marcian, Sts., 
June 17. 

Nicephorus, St., March 13. 

Nicetus, St., December 5. 

Nicholas of Myra, St., Decem- 
ber 6. 

Nicholas Tolentine, St., Sep- 
tember 10. 

Nilus, St., November 12. 

Norbert, St., June 6. 

O. 

Olympiada. St., December 17. 

Omer, St., September 9. 

Onesimus, St., February 16. 

Onophrius, St , June 12. 

Oswald, St., February 29. 

Our Lady, Help of Christians, 
May 24. 

Our Lady of Mercy, Septem- 
ber 24. 

Our Lady of the Snows, Au- 
gust 5. 



Pacomius, St., May 14. 
Pamphilius, St., June 1. 
Pancras, St., May 12. 
Pantaleon, St., July 27. 
Pantenus, St., July 7. 
Paphnucius, St., September 

11. 
Paternus, St., April 15. 
Patrick, St., of Ireland, March 

x 7- 
Paul, St., Commemoration of, 

June 30. 
Paul, St., First Hermit, Janu 

ary 15. 
Paul, St., Bishop, June 7. 
Paul, St., Hermit, December 

T 5- 
Paula, St., January 26. 
Paulinus, St. June 22. 
Pelagia, St., June 9. 



408 



Index of Saints and Festivals. 



Perpetua and Felicitas, Sts., 
March 5. 

Peter the Apostle, St., June 
29. 

Peter. St., the Chains of, Au- 
gust 1. 

Peter, St., the Chair at An- 
tioch. February 22. 

Peter, St., the Chair at Rome, 
January 18. 

Peter of Alcantara, St., Octo- 
ber 19. 

Peter of Alexandria, St., No- 
vember 26. 

Peter of Lampsacus, St., May 
IS- 

Peter of Luxembourg, St., 
July 5- 

Peter. Martyr, St., April 29. 

Peter Nolasco, St., January 31. 

Petronilla, St., May 31. 

Philip and James, Sts., May 1. 

Philip Beniti, St., August 23. 

Philip of Heraclea, St., Octo- 
ber 22. 

Philip Neri, St., May 26. 

Philogonus. St., December 20. 

Phocas, St., July 3. 

Pius V., St., May 5. 

Placidus and Companions, 
Sts., October 5. 

Porphyrius, St., February 26. 

Pothinus, St., June 2. 

Praxedes. St., July 21. 

Presentation of B. V. Mary, 
November 21. 

Prosperus, St., June 25. 

Proterius. St., February 28. 

Purification of B. V. Mary, 
February 2. 



Quentin, St., October 31. 
Quirinus, St., June 4. 

R. 

Raphael, St., October 24. 
Raymond, St., August 31. 
Remigius, St., October 1. 
Robert, St., April 24. 



Romanus, St., August 9. 
Romuald, St., February 7. 
Rose of Lima, St., August 30. 



Sabas, St., April 12. 

Sabinusand Companions, Sts., 
December 30. 

Sacerdos, St., September 12. 

Saturninus, St., November 29. 

Scholastica, St., February 10. 

Sebastian, St., January 20. 

Serapia, St., Septembers. 

Serenus, St., February 23. 

Severianus, St.. February 21. 

Severinus, St., January 8. 

Severinus, St., February 11. 

Severus and Brothers, Sts., 
November 8. 

Simon and Jude, Sts., Octo- 
ber 28. 

Simeon, St., February 18. 

Simplicius, St., March 2. 

Spiridion, St., December 14. 

Stanislaus, St., May 7. 

Stanislaus Kostka, St., No- 
vember 13. 

Stephen, Proto Martyr, St., 
December 26. 

Stephen the Younger, St., 
November 28. 

Stephen, King and St., Sep- 
tember 2. 

Stephen, Abbot, St., April 
J 7- 

Stigmata of St. Francis of 
Assisi, September 17. 

Sulpicius, St., January 19. 

Sylvester, St.. December 31. 

Symphorian, St., August 22. 

Symphrosia, St.. July 18. 

Synesius, St., December 12. 

T. 

Taracus and Companions, 

Sts., October 11. 
Taraisius, St., February 25. 
Teresa, St., October 15'. 
Theodorus, St., November 9. 



409 



Index op Saints and Festivals. 



Thecla, St., September 23. 

Themistocles, St., December 
22. 

Theodoret, St., October 23. 

Theodosius, St., January 11. 

Theodotus, St., May 18. 

Theotimus, St., April 20. 

Thibault, St., July 1. 

Thomas, St., Apostle, Decem- 
ber 21. 

Thomas Aquinas, St., March 7. 

Thomas of Canterbury, St., 
December 29. 

Thomas' of Villanova, St., 
September 18. 

Thrasilla, St., December 24. 

Tiburtius, St., August 11. 

Tiburtius, Valerian and Max- 
imus, Sts., April 14. 

Timothy, St., January 24. 

Titus, St., January 4. 

Transfiguration of our Lord 
J. C, August 6. 

Tropesius, St., May 17. 

U. 

Ulrich, St., July 4. 
Ursula, St., and Companions, 
October 21. 



V. 

Valentine, St., February 14. 

Veronica of Milan, St., Janu- 
ary 13. 

Victoria, St., December 23. 

Vincent, Martyr, St., January 
22. 

Vincent Ferrer, St., April 5. 

Vincent de Paul, St., July 19. 

Visitation of B. V. Mary, 
July 2. 

Vitalis, St., April 28. 

Vitus, Modestus and Cres- 
centia, Sts., June 15. 



W. 

Wenceslaus, St., September 

28. 
Wilbrod, St., November 7. 
Wilfrid, St., October 12. 
William, St., January 10. 



Zephyrinus, St., August 26. 
Zita, St., April 27. 



410 



Index op Soehis Quoted. 



PAGE 

Alacoque, Blessed Margaret Mary 331 

Aldana, F. de 313 

Alfred, King of England 27, 133, 249, 299 

Aquinas, St. Thomas, Confessor and Doctor 18 

Argensola, Rev. Bartolome Leonardo 384 

Argensola, Lupercio Leonardo 114, 187 

Azarias, Brother 284 

Bembo, Pietro 233 

Benti voglio, Cardinal Cornelio , 277 

Bernard, St., Abbot and Doctor. . . 203 

Berners, Sister Juliana 191 

Blosius, the Devout 298 

Brann, Rev. Dr. Henry A 354 

Brenan, Joseph 158 

Bridgett, Rev. Father (C.SS.R) 93 

Bryant, William Cullen 23, 104, 120, 132, 149, 368 

Buonarotti , Michael Angelo 161, 250, 324 

Burke, Very Rev. Thomas Nicholas (O. P.) 64, 244 

Caedmon 116,170,319 

Camoens, Luis de 87 

Caswall, Rev. Richard 189 

Chateaubriand, Francois Auguste 194 

Chaucer, Geoffrey * 89, 345 

Colonna, Vittoria 199 

Connolly, Daniel 356 

Conway, Katharine E 395 

Cook, Edith 26, 236 

Cotta, Fra Giovanni B. (O.S. A.) 192, 379, 

411 



Index op E>oejps Quoted. 

PAGE 

Crashaw, Richard 13, 51 

Cronin, Rev. Patrick 50 

Cummings, Rev. Dr. Jeremiah W 37 

Curtin, J. C 235 

Dahlgren, Madame Madeleine Vinton 363 

Dante, Alighieri 12, 145, 150, 323, 341 

Da Cruz, Fra Agostinho 248 

D'Avila, St. Teresa 399 

De Vere, Sir Aubrey 294 

De Vere, Aubrey 125 

Digby, Sir Kenelm 256 

Do Ceo, Sister Violante 124, 367, 397 

Donnelly, Eleanor C 7, 9, 14, 41, 44, 73, 84, 107, 139, 152, 

173, 198, 205, 222, 239, 245, 268, 273, 305, 349, 371 

Donnelly, Hon. Ignatius 156, 216, 304, 353 

Dorsey, Mrs. Anna Hanson 208 

Downing, Ellen 28, 81, 164, 223, 322 

Dryden, John 68, 99, 112, 127, 142, 160, 182, 362 

Durward, B. 1 351 

Edmund, Father (C.P.) 295 

Egan, Maurice F 36, 91, 321 

Ellet, Mrs. Elizabeth F 202 

Emery, Miss Susan L 378 

Faber, Rev. Frederick William 16, 21, 166, 185, 201, 221, 380 

Fidelis, Father (C.P.) 280 

Fitzgerald, Marcella A 332 

Fullerton, Lady Georgianna 105, 252, 261, 266, 337, 350 

Goddard, Vinton Augustine 143 

Goldsmith, Oliver 24, 45, 55, 70, 85 

Griffin, Gerald 19, 30, 35, 46, 97, 117, 155 

Guerin, Eugenie de 78, 135, 393 

Guinicelli, Guido 130 

Hemans, Felicia Dorothea 94, 210, 382 

Hendry, Elizabeth Carmel 301 

Henry, John Arthur 25, 229 

Herrera, Fernando de 230, 402 

Hill, Rev. B. D 295 

412 



Index op i^oe^s Quoted. 

PAGE 

Hinojosa y Carbajal, Fra Alvaro ^O.S.B.) 39, 61 

Holmes, Dr. Oliver Wendell 79 

Hyde. Edward 100 

Johnson. Dr. Samuel 281 

Joyce, Dr. Robert D 53, 162, 290 

King-, Elizabeth 209 

Leo XIII., His Holiness 75, 310 

Leon, Fra Luis Ponce de (O.S. A.) 311, 381 

Long-fellow. Henry Wordsworth n, 34. 48, 59, 65, 71, 76, 

95, 119, 136, 144, 154, 159, 169, 178, 215, 246, 257, 286, 312, 329, 374, 

39 2 

McCarthy, Denis Florence 17, 129, 276 

McGee, Thomas D'Arcy .' 383 

Mangan, James Clarence 69 

Mannix, Mrs. Mary E 29, 336, 403 

Manrique, Jorge de 196 

Margaret, Queen of Navarre 77 

McGeoghegan. Thomas J 207 

Miles, George H 171, 227 

Montgomery, James 219 

Moore. Thomas 82, 180, 188, 220, 228, 278, 357, 401 

Muir, Marion 352 

Mulholland , Rosa 292 

Newman, Cardinal John Henry. 33, 56, 63, 165, 242, 285, 291, 

296, 318, 342, 347, 358 
Norris, Joseph W. S 47, 389 

O'Reilly, John Boyle 92, 147, 320, 348 

Padron. Fra Rodriguez del (O.S.D.) 137 

Patmore, Coventry 103, 297, 385 

Pellico, Silvio 146 

Petrarca, Francisco 200, 253 

Pope, Alexander 138, 153, 181 

Preston, Mrs. Margaret J 86, 109, 263 

Procter, Adelaide A 67, 80, 83, 96, 101, 148, 163, 241, 314 

Raleigh, Sir Walter 366 

413 



Index of ©oejus Quoted. 

PAGE 

Rochford, Very Rev. John A. (O.P.) 224 

Rogers, Samuel 279 

Rouquette, Rev. Adrian 3 1 5, 360 

Russell, Rev. Matthew (S.J.) 57, 146, 255, 398 

Ryan, Rev. Abram J 52, 90, 123, 184, 251, 370 

Sadlier, Anna T 377 

Sannazzaro, Jacopo 62 

Schemer, Rev. Johannes 32, 66, 197, 254, 289, 326, 335, 364, 386 

Schiller, Johann Christoph Friedrich von 168 

Scott, Sir Walter 376 

Seton, William 175, 211 

Seton, Mother 293 

Shakspeare, William 38, 287, 307, 394 

Shirley. James 258, 316 

Silesius, Angelus. See Schemer, Rev. Johannes. 

Skidmore, Harriet M . .15, 113, 177, 237, 256, 265, 375 

Smith, Sara Trainer 373, 391 

Sourin, Rev. Edward J. (S.J.) 282 

Southwell, Rev. Robert (S.J.).. 49, 102, 118, 190, 247, 275, 317, 387 

Stace, Arthur J 75, 310 

Starr, Eliza Allen 260, 355, 390 

Stoddard, Charles Warren 204,327 

Stone, Rev. James Kent (C.P.) 280 

Stuart, Mary, Queen of the Scots 388 

Tabb, John B 346 

Tasso, Torquato 20, 262 

Tennyson, Alfred 344, 359 

Treacy, Rev. P. A 22, 217 

Treacy, Rev. William (S.J.) 328 

Vega, Fra Lope de (O.S.F.) 231, 325 

Velasco, Francisco de 58 

Williams, Richard Dalton 365 

W T hitaker, Mrs. M. S 267 

Wiseman. Cardinal Nicholas 10,186,264 

Wordsworth, William 88, in, 213, 333, 40c 

Wilde, Lady 309 

414 



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:os. 



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Golden Sands. 

THIRD SERIES. 

TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH 

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My First Communion: 

The Happiest Day of My Life. 

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THE YOUNG GIRL'S 

Book of Piety 

AT SCHOOL AND AT HOME. 

A Prayer-Book for Girls in Convent-Schools and 
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BY 

The Author of " Golden Sands." 



TRANSLATED FEOM THE 45th FBENCE EDITION. 



rfonorec:' with a Blesshg from the late POPE PIUS IX.. 
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No. 

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footsteps in the sure path of virtue. Written at the sug- 
gestion of a truly Christian heart, it breathes, from firsl 
to last, a perfume of sweet piety and of grace which often 
recalls the writings of St. Francis de Sales. 

BENZIGEP BROTHERS, New York, Cincinnati, and St, Louis 



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*TJ, 



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